Portobello Begins Construction of Porcelain Factory in Tennessee

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Portobello Begins Construction of Porcelain Factory in Tennessee

Baxter, TN, October 25, 2021-Portobello Group, a Brazil-based producer of porcelain and ceramic tile, has begun construction of its U.S. factory in Baxter, Tennessee.

“Growing and developing in the American market, incorporating the local culture, generating job opportunities and investments as the result of ‘production to partnership relationships’ with distributors, is what guides this new challenge,” stated Portobello Group’s CEO, Cesar Gomes, Jr. “We are proud to soon present Portobello America’s new United States-based factory. We believe in the strategy, the market potential and, above all, the combination of our know-how with the American team and culture.” 

The planned facility is slated to be approximately 895,000 square feet in size and is located roughly 70 miles east of Nashville. Total investment is expected to reach $160 million, of which $80 million will be allocated to the construction of the new facility. The remaining $80 million will focus on the investment in world-class tile production machinery. Construction is projected to be completed by the end of Q4 2022. Portobello estimates the new, state-of-the-art facility will create 220 local jobs. 

The 92-acre project site is located on the south side of Interstate 40 within the city limits of Baxter. Situated in Putnam County, the overall region is considered a national hotbed for ceramic tile manufacturing due to the region’s vast natural supplies of clay and feldspar. 

The company currently has two distribution centers in the U.S. market, strategically located in Florida and Tennessee (where the future industrial facility will be located as well as Portobello America’s U.S. headquarters). According to Luiz Felipe Brito, Portobello America’s CEO, “The construction of the factory is the next step of our strategy that began in 2018. We have assembled a world-class team, curated a product portfolio that has proven to be very successful and have partnered with the best independent distributors in the country.”