Advance Realty Investors on July 25 joined Freshpet Inc., public officials and members of their project team to break ground on a build-to-suit, 30,000-square-foot global headquarters for the fresh pet food company on Route 206 in Bedminster.
By Joshua Burd
Construction is underway on Freshpet Inc.’s new global headquarters in Bedminster, in a rare ground-up office project that will support the growth of the New Jersey-born premium pet food maker and anchor the development of a mixed-use campus on Route 206.
The company, which is relocating from Secaucus, will occupy the 30,000-square-foot building under a lease with Advance Realty Investors, following what executives described as a lengthy search around the state and the region. It’s now slated to move in by early 2025, providing a new home for some 100 employees and their pets that is less than three miles from the junction of interstate 78 and 287 and accessible to a highly skilled labor force.
Advance joined Freshpet and public officials on Thursday to break ground on the highly anticipated project.
“The greatest act that a company can do is to build a new building and a new corporate headquarters,” said Peter Cocoziello, Advance’s founder, CEO and president. “For one thing, it denotes their future — they believe that their future is bright, and here they are building a new building. It’s certainly very special to work with the company, and we’re pleased to work with you. We wish you all the success in this location.”
The Garibaldi Group’s Jeffrey Garibaldi Sr. and Jackie Madden represented Freshpet, a NASDAQ-listed company with more than 1,200 employees, nearly 1 million square feet of production space across three sites and a market cap of some $5.6 billion. Supporting its growth went hand in hand with finding a new office that was modern, collaborative and emphasized sustainability, executives said, describing a process that was spearheaded by co-founder and Chatham resident Scott Morris.
The company found that opportunity at the Advance at Bedminster campus, currently a two-building, 77,000-square-foot complex at 1420 and 1430 Route 206. Designed by Nancy Dougherty of Studio 1200, with Iron Hill Construction Management as its general contractor, the new building will feature healthy materials and renewable sources, electric vehicle charging stations and energy-efficiency measures.
“There’s nothing Scott likes more than a challenge,” Freshpet CEO Billy Cyr said, later adding: “He took on the project to build a new home that matched the company that we had become and the company that we hope to become. And all along the way, he did just as he did in creating Freshpet: He found great partners who shared the vision that we have for Freshpet. Those partners are Advance Realty, the town of Bedminster, the architects, the designers, everybody who has been involved in this project who are like so many partners that we had along the way that helped us get to be that company that will break a billion dollars in net sales next year.
“They shared and added to Scott’s vision. That vision is going to result in a state-of-the-art, purpose-built headquarters for Freshpet that will become the physical manifestation of our ‘pets, people, planet’ mantra.”
Notably, the site will provide Freshpet with connectivity to its manufacturing facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and to Newark Liberty International Airport, allowing it to access another plant in Ennis, Texas, and its European operations.
The build-to-suit project is also the catalyst for Advance’s plan to reinvent the 15-acre property, the site of its own headquarters, where it will build 20,000 square feet of new retail, dining and amenity space along Route 206. The developer last year secured approvals for the new office building and the additional phases of what will become known as Bedminster Village Square, seeking to provide a vibrant, mixed-use environment for its office tenants as well as neighboring companies such as AT&T.
Plans also call for significant additional landscaping and a system of pedestrian paths that connect to the extensive hike-and-bike infrastructure in Bedminster’s open space network, as well as updates to the 87,000 square feet of existing office space on the campus.
“A tremendous company like Freshpet is going to bring this whole area to life,” said Dan Cocoziello, principal and chief operating office of Advance Realty. “So we are humbled and honored to commemorate this milestone today.”
The Garibaldi Group’s Madden added: “This state-of-the-art facility will not only support Freshpet’s continued growth and innovation but also reflect the company’s commitment to excellence and sustainability. It has been an incredible experience working alongside Freshpet’s leadership team to bring this vision to life, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact this new headquarters will have on the community and the pet food industry.”
Those on hand Thursday also included Principal and Chief Investment Officer Alex Cocoziello Bedminster Mayor Larry Jacobs, Somerset County Commissioner Director Shanel Robinson and other public officials. Jacobs, for his part, recounted how Peter Cocoziello approached township officials last year “about an opportunity for a new corporate headquarters in Bedminster that would bring some needed energy to this campus.”
Seeking to maintain their strong commercial base, they quickly got to work on a series of zoning changes “to reflect a new approach to commercial properties — efficiency of space, increased amenities and the integration of retail.”
“We fully anticipate that this project lead by Advance Realty and the Cocoziello family will spur further growth in our commercial corridors,” Jacobs added. “Freshpet and its President Scott Morris have already established their presence within the Bedminster community with a commitment to excellence in architecture and engagement with our residents and our pets. Once again on behalf of Bedminster, we look forward to seeing this project completed and occupied by a pet-loving company.”
Advance eyes new retail, dining at Bedminster campus with Freshpet headquarters as a catalyst
