Packaging and paper company Hood Container Corporation announced it will invest $118.9 million to modernize its paper mill in St. Francisville, Louisiana. The company said the project would boost production capacity and quality.
Hood Container expects the development to retain 295 positions and add 819 indirect jobs.
“Investments like Hood Container’s strengthen both our manufacturing base and our timber economy, positioning us to win with two industries that have deep roots in Louisiana.” Louisiana Economic Development (LED) Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said. “The timber industry plays a key role in growing Louisiana’s agribusiness sector."
The project will upgrade Hood Container’s primary paper machine, which the company said would increase production capacity by 80,000 tons per year. Hood Container also anticipates buying an additional 204,000 tons of wood chips and 22,000 tons of recycled boxes annually.
The investment will also include improvements to the facility’s recovery boiler.
Hood Container expects to begin the upgrade's first phase during the third quarter of 2026 and install the remaining equipment and additions in May 2027 during the mill's annual outage.
Crown Zellerbach opened the mill in the late 1950s. Tembec also operated the facility before Hood Container assumed ownership in 2015. The company has invested over $160 million in the site.
To secure the project, the State of Louisiana offered the company an incentive package that includes an $800,000 Modernization Tax Credit to be paid out over a five-year period. LED added that Hood Container would utilize the state’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program.
