Local company founded in 2015 announced first major expansion 

FRANKFORT, KY - On Dec. 12, 2024, Gov. Andy Beshear announced a Kentucky small business has taken a major step forward as Dan-O’s Seasoning LLC plans to invest $4.7 million and create 30 good-paying jobs to establish a new office in Jefferson County.

“I love to see Kentucky businesses thrive, and I am especially proud when a company grows from humble beginnings to share the news of a major expansion like we’re announcing today for Dan-O’s Seasoning,” Gov. Beshear said. “I want to thank the company’s leadership for their commitment to the commonwealth and I look forward to growing together in our New Kentucky Home.”

This investment will allow Dan-O’s to build out new office space and a test kitchen at a new location on Terra Crossing Boulevard in Louisville. The relocation will create 30 new job opportunities, including roles at the company’s headquarters. Construction on the new operation is expected to begin in January and be completed by early spring.

Dan-O’s has been a strong community partner, donating pallets of seasoning to Dare to Care to assist with meals in its Community Kitchen in West Louisville. The company also is distributing seasoning to other Dare to Care partners and for use in their frozen meals and Kids Cafe meals.

“As a proud Kentuckian, it’s an incredible honor to be recognized by our Governor. My journey began in 2015 as a bartender with a dream, and I hope that when people think of Dan-O’s, they see it as proof that hard work truly pays off,” said Dan Oliver, founder of Dan-O’s. “Be passionate about what you do, never give up and be ready to give it everything you’ve got – because with dedication and determination, anything is possible.”

Oliver established Dan-O’s in Jefferson County in 2015, with the company’s first bottle of seasoning sold in August 2016. Oliver was motivated by the challenge to develop seasonings using premium ingredients, real sea salt and no sugar or additives to inspire healthy food choices without sacrificing flavor. The company’s products can now be found at over 18,000 retailers nationwide.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg recognized the company’s early success: “The growth and success of Dan-O’s Seasoning speak to the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that thrives in our city. With this relocation, they will nearly double their staff, positioning themselves for continued future growth as a thriving part of our food and beverage economy. Congratulations to the entire Dan-O’s team on this fantastic achievement!”

Dan-O’s investment and job creation build on the best four-year period for economic growth in state history.

Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,000 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling nearly $35 billion in announced investments, creating roughly 58,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $13.5 billion more than the next highest total.

The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. The average incentivized hourly wage in 2022 and 2023 topped $26 in 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; Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing’s $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County; and INFAC North America’s $53 million investment in Taylor County, among others.

The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund, as well as the most jobs filled in state history. Last year, Kentucky set the record for the longest period with the lowest unemployment rates in state history.

Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.

In March, Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky third nationally and first in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2023 Governor’s Cup rankings. In 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 announced a Supply Kentucky initiative with the goal of boosting job growth, reducing costs and providing more security in the supply chains of our Kentucky companies. And last month, the Governor 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) today preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $420,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $4.7 million and annual targets of:

- Creation and maintenance of 30 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 10 years; and

- Paying an average hourly wage of $33.74, including benefits, across those jobs.

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 Dan-O’s Seasoning, visit danosseasoning.com.

A detailed community profile for Jefferson County can be viewed here.

Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at CED.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov, Instagram @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.