Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 6, 2026 | Worcester Business Journal 13 MANUFACTURING F O C U S High School, said Pontbriand. Aside from its formal partnerships with the Town, Nasoya has built a long-standing relationship with the community by sponsoring annu- al events like Ayer's Newton Street Festival and Downtown Holiday Tree Lightings. e manufacturer views community engagement almost as a form of sales pitching. Central Massachusetts is no stranger to inclement weather, and it benefits Nasoya for employees to live nearby, said Swartz. "at's one of the primary [reasons] Nasoya invests itself so much in the community, to be a good community partner," he said. More tax revenue When Nashoba Valley Medical Center closed in 2024, Ayer lost about 500 jobs, and a substantial amount of tax revenue, said Pontbriand. Nasoya's expanded footprint will bring in new tax revenue for the Town. Additionally, the company will pay nearly $2 million to improve the Town's wastewater infrastructure. "Tofu is soybeans plus water, pretty much," said Lee. "You can imagine how much water that we use and how much water we discharge." Nasoya is Ayer's largest water user, he said. Currently, the manufacturer produc- es 170,000 gallons of wastewater per day. at figure will increase to 200,000 per day for fiscal 2026 and grow to 240,000 per day in fiscal 2027, said Pontbriand. To accommodate for this increase, the manufacturer has entered into a municipal agreement to pay the Town about $1.4 million for wastewater and $545,000 for improvements to its sewer line, to be paid over the next 10 years. While these improvements will be made for Nasoya, they will advantage Ayer's waste systems overall by increas- ing capacity. "Now that translates into a significant revenue source for the town, as well as some further infrastructure improve- ments to the wastewater system to take this into account," said Pontbriand. Nasoya's expansion Nasoya's $55-million expansion project added 65,000 square feet to its Ayer facility and 200 feet to its tofu production line, doubling the facility's production capacity and driving the creation of up to 70 new jobs. Old facility Expanded facility Facility size Approximately 135,000 square feet Approximately 200,000 square feet Length of line 120 feet long 320 feet long Pounds of tofu 200,000 pounds per day 400,000 pounds per day Employees 170 Up to 240 Source: Nasoya W Nasoya's former facility averaged about 150,000 packages of tofu per day. Now, once operating at full capacity, it will produce up to 300,000 packages on a daily basis. Learn more at safehomesma.org ank you to the sponsors of our 2026 Safe Homes Gala held on March 6th! BRONZE SPONSORS SILVER SPONSORS VIP RECEPTION SPONSORS Michael Quarrey GOLD SPONSORS

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