One of Greater Cincinnati's largest private companies is quietly weighing a major expansion in Northern Kentucky. Castellini Co., the 130-year-old Wilder-based fresh produce distributor, is considering an eight-figure investment in Northern Kentucky that would put a new warehouse and distribution operation near Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
According to WKRC Local 12, the company has received state incentives tied to a proposed $22 million project in Hebron. The plan calls for Castellini to rent an undisclosed facility to serve its new warehouse and distribution segment and meet growing customer demand, according to state documents.
State documents reviewed by the station describe the facility rental and the planned warehouse and distribution segment, though they stop short of naming the building Castellini is eyeing. It is not yet clear whether the project has moved beyond the planning stage, and no lease, job-creation figure or construction timeline has been disclosed publicly.
A Company Built on Cold Storage and Logistics
Castellini is no stranger to expansion. The company describes itself as a business that combines cold storage, distribution and produce expertise into a single supply chain operation, according to the firm's own website. That positioning helps explain why a produce distributor headquartered in Wilder would be looking to add warehouse capacity closer to one of the region's busiest cargo hubs.
This would not be Castellini's first recent investment in the area. Back in 2023, the company expanded its Wilder facility with a nearly $16.6 million investment, a project expected to create 180 new full-time jobs, including 128 positions reserved for Kentucky residents, per The Lane Report. That earlier expansion added a 36,000-square-foot freezer and supported the assembly of meal kits for shipment. The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority approved Castellini for up to $150,000 in tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act to support that build-out, the same outlet reported.
Airport's Logistics Push Draws New Tenants
The timing lines up with a broader buildout at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, where officials have spent several years developing what they call the CVG Global Logistics Park, a hub designed for air cargo, general air freight users, freight forwarders and multimodal distribution, according to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The airport demolished outdated facilities at the site in 2022 and funneled more than $33 million in federal infrastructure dollars into rebuilding the project's airside ramp that same year. In 2023, more than $3.6 million in Kentucky site development funds were allocated to the project as well.
That investment has already produced its first tenant. F&F LLC opened an 80,000-square-foot warehouse at CVG last year, marking the first project to open in the airport's new Global Logistics Park, the Cincinnati Business Courier reported.
What Kentucky's Incentive Records Do and Don't Show
Kentucky's Financial Incentives Database allows the public to search incentive details for economic-development projects approved by either the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority or the Bluegrass State Skills Corporation. But the database itself cautions that project information reflects estimates and projections supplied by the companies receiving incentives, not guaranteed outcomes, through project completion.
Under past Castellini incentive agreements, the company has been positioned to claim eligible incentives against income-tax liability and wage assessments, and to keep a portion of new tax revenue by hitting annual performance targets over the life of the agreement, according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. The dossier reviewed for this report does not specify the dollar amount, program, duration or performance requirements tied specifically to the newly proposed $22 million Hebron project.
The Hebron area has already drawn other major logistics investment this year. Stord announced plans to expand its existing Hebron facility with a more-than-$40 million investment over several years, a project the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development says is expected to create more than 500 jobs. Whatever Castellini ultimately decides, the company's interest adds to a growing list of distributors and logistics firms circling the airport's industrial corridor.
