Food manufacturer Reser’s Fine Foods will expand in Halifax County and create 79 jobs over the next five years, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Thursday.

The company will invest $3.2 million in the county with the project.

“The One North Carolina Fund grant, along with the continued support of N.C. Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., made the choice to invest here in Halifax an easy one,” Reser’s Fine Foods CEO Mark Reser stated. “We will expand capacity by investing in new equipment at our existing plant, and increase the site’s workforce by nearly 40 percent over the next five years.”

Reser’s expansion in Halifax County is aided by a $250,000 performance-based grant from the One North Carolina Fund. The fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help create jobs and growth. Companies must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for the payment.

The grants require a matching grant from local governments.

“Halifax County is a prime location for manufacturers with strategic access to rail and road transport,” Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland said. “That transportation and distribution infrastructure, coupled with an experienced manufacturing workforce, made it the right choice for Reser’s to stay in North Carolina.”

The salaries for the new positions will vary, but the average salary is expected to be $35,325, above Halifax County’s average salary of $31,839.

The company opened a Don Pancho facility in Halifax in 2010 to expand its West-based tortilla business.

Reser’s Fine Foods was founded in 1950 in Cornelius, Oregon, to produce refrigerated salads. The company then expanded into several other food categories, including Mexican foods.

Reser has been president of the company since 2007 and served as its chief operating officer. Before serving as president, he managed the company’s salad plant in California. He graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in accounting.