TEXT BY LAURA STAKELUM

November 2015

The little Wiregrass city of Brundidge - population just over 2,300 - has plunked down $1.2 million and taken on a $2.2 million debt to upgrade its wastewater system, in a play for new jobs, a platform to support its locally grown canning business and, hopefully, attract even more industry.

It's a big bet for such a small town. But it's based on the 14-year track record of one of the area's biggest industries, Southern Classic Food Group, which is putting up $8.7 million of its own money for an expansion and a brand new canning company.

Southern Classic Food Group has been in existence since 2001. Manager Chuck Caraway had 18 years of experience in the food industry when he decided to start his own company. What started in a rented former Piggly Wiggly building quickly grew to 205,000 square feet.

 The new expansion, a $3.2 million investment by Southern Classic Food Group, will bring the space up to 240,000 square feet. And that will allow Southern Classic to diversify, partnering with a nationally distributed juice company under a multiyear contract agreement leading to production of about 1.7 million gallons of orange juice, as well as other juice products.