HARRODSBURG, Ky. (April 30, 2025) – Yesterday, Gov. Andy Beshear joined local leaders in Mercer County and executives from Earth Breeze, a producer of environmentally friendly laundry detergent sheets, to cut the ribbon on an approximately $5.9 million operation in Harrodsburg that is creating 226 full-time Kentucky jobs.
“This is yet another great manufacturing project for the commonwealth and an incredible job-creation opportunity for Mercer County and the surrounding region,” Gov. Beshear said. “I am proud to celebrate the tremendous progress of this project in just two short months. I can’t wait to see it fully operational in the very near future.”
The ribbon cutting signifies a rolling start to operations at the more than 81,000-square-foot facility as the project enters the testing phase. The location will be home to several aspects of the company’s production process, including the blending of its proprietary eco-friendly formulation, drying and processing, cutting and packaging, order fulfillment operations, quality control laboratory testing and research and development. Positions created at the facility include production operators, quality control specialists and planning/administrative associates and managers.
“This marks an exciting milestone for Earth Breeze as we officially open our first U.S. manufacturing facility here in Harrodsburg, Kentucky,” said Ben Smith, chief operating officer at Earth Breeze. “This plant represents more than just a new manufacturing operation – it’s a symbol of our commitment to innovation, domestic manufacturing and creating skilled jobs in communities that are building for the future. We are incredibly grateful for the outstanding support and efficiency we received from both local and state governments, which played a critical role in bringing this project to life at an incredible pace. We’re proud to call Kentucky home and to contribute to the continued growth of this region.”
Founded in 2019, Earth Breeze’s products ensure clean laundry without harsh chemicals like optical brighteners, artificial dyes, parabens, phthalates or preservatives. For every order, Earth Breeze donates laundry detergent to shelters and disaster relief organizations. As part of this initiative, the company has partnered with more than 800 shelters, community organizations and disaster relief groups to provide more than 300 million loads of detergent to those in need. Earth Breeze has also sponsored the cleanup of over 999,000 pounds of plastic across the United States and around the globe.
Greyson Evans, executive director of the Harrodsburg-Mercer County Industrial Development Authority, noted the positive impact the company has already made: “Harrodsburg, Mercer County and our industrial authority couldn’t be more thrilled for Earth Breeze and our community. Ever since this project was announced, the Earth Breeze team has been wonderful to work with and is already dedicated to being a great corporate citizen and to making an impact here in Harrodsburg. We wish them nothing but the best, will be here to help them at every step along the way, and are very grateful for the awesome jobs they’ll be bringing to our community. We hope this is the first big announcement of many, as we hope to soon begin the development of the Wilkinson Megasite – a property that we believe will compete nationally for a top-tier project!”
Earth Breeze’s investment and job creation build on the best five-year period for economic growth in state history.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,100 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $35 billion in announced investments, creating more than 60,500 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $14 billion more than the next highest total.
The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. Since 2022, the average incentivized hourly wage has topped $26 in three consecutive years for the first time.
Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States: Ford Motor Co. and SK On’s transformative $5.8 billion, 5,000-job BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County; AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County; and Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing’s $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County, among others.
The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund. In 2023, Kentucky recorded over 2 million jobs filled for the first time ever and has stayed above that number ever since.
Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
Site Selection magazine recently ranked Kentucky in the top five nationally and second in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2024 Governor’s Cup rankings. Last April, Site Selection placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and in the top 10 nationally in its 2024 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.
Gov. Beshear also announced a new initiative, called New Kentucky Home, to increase economic investment, attain and attract talent, and increase tourism across the state.
To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in February preliminarily approved an incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide tax incentives based on the company’s investment and annual job and wage targets.
By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.
In addition, the company can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.
For more information on Earth Breeze, visit EarthBreeze.com.
A detailed community profile for Mercer County can be viewed here.
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