Mr. Green Tea maker bringing ice cream manufacturing to Fort Monmouth
OCEANPORT - MGT Foods, which manufactures treats such as Mr. Green Tea Ice Cream and Mr. Mochi Ice Cream, has signed a lease to come to The Commissary at Baseline, located on the former Fort Monmouth grounds.
This is the second lease signing by Denholtz Properties, which also locked in craft beer brewer Birdsmouth Beer for the site. Birdsmouth is set to open Oct. 15.
The third-generation family-owned business was started in Brooklyn in 1968 by Santo Emanuele, a World War II-veteran who flew in the bomber squadrons that made up the 100th Bomb Group. After the war he worked in the dairy industry and became an entrepreneur right about the time the sushi craze hit the East Coast.
His grandson, Michael James Emanuele, the company's vice president, said his grandfather recognized the need for traditional ice creams for Japanese restaurants and developed a few signature flavors.
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"There was a rise in Japanese restaurants in Brooklyn and he started selling directly to them," Emanuele said.
One of those flavors was Mr. Green Tea Ice Cream, which is where the name MGT comes from.
The business moved to Manalapan in 2002 and then to Keyport in 2008 where it's headquartered today. MGT specializes in food science, food manufacturing and food distribution. Its other brands include The Bear & The Rat Cool Treats for Dogs and Eat Mud Non-Dairy Ice Cream.
Demand for their line of products, which sells both domestically and to foreign markets, drove them to lease a bigger, 19,567-square-foot facility at the fort. Emanuele said they looked at the Commissary a few years ago but the timing wasn't right.
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Emanuele said MGT will keep its headquarters in Keyport but will close the production facility there. He expects to open the production facility at the Commissary early next year. In time, the company will create 15 to 20 new jobs at the fort, which doesn't include about eight to 12 employees who will make the move from Keyport.
The Commissary was part of the fort's warehouse district and is getting a second life as the fort undergoes a transition to private investment. Denholtz Properties, based in Red Bank, purchased the warehouse district — a total of 12 buildings including the Commissary — for $4.3 million in 2020, from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority, the state agency in charge the former U.S. Army base's renaissance.
“We recognized the tremendous untapped potential of The Commissary at Fort Monmouth from day one of our ownership of the property,” said Kristine B. Hurlbut, senior vice president of leasing at Denholtz Properties.
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Denholtz is investing $60 million to renovate the warehouse district with the Commissary as the centerpiece.
Denholtz Properties is also moving forward with its plans for phase two at The Commissary at Baseline, where it will construct 72,400 square feet of modern spec industrial/ flex space spread across three buildings. That construction is scheduled for completion next year, according to the company.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Fort Monmouth development: Mr. Green Tea Ice Cream maker coming
