The story

Philip Morris International opened a $1.2 billion manufacturing campus in Aurora, Colorado, to produce Zyn nicotine pouches. The roughly 780,000-square-foot facility began commercial production earlier this month after approximately 19 months of construction. The investment doubles the $600 million the company pledged in 2024.

The company has invested about $1 billion in the Aurora campus so far and plans to invest an additional $200 million over the next two years to add production capacity. Once fully operational, the facility is expected to generate about $550 million in annual economic impact and support 1,000 indirect jobs. The plant will supply the U.S. market and export to Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Philip Morris said last week it would ramp up investments in its U.S. business to keep Zyn's position as the leading nicotine pouch for Americans. The company recorded higher second-quarter sales led by Zyn pouches, with U.S. shipments increasing 1.8% to 2.9 billion. The expanded facility will support higher production volumes of Zyn Ultra, introduced in the United States in June with a softer pouch design and higher nicotine strength. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized 20 Zyn products to be marketed as presenting lower health risks than cigarettes.