Whole Foods Market, Austin, Texas, broke ground on a 150,000-square-foot Midwest distribution facility in the Pullman neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. Expected to open in early 2018, the new Midwest distribution center will initially employ 150 people and serve as many as 70 Whole Foods Market locations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa and the Canadian province of Ontario.

Relocating from the current distribution center in Munster, Ind., the new location offers a building double the size of the current facility, and will feature additional space to grow, as the company expands its reach in Chicago and beyond.

“We are thrilled to begin construction of our new distribution center,” says Bobby Turner, Midwest regional vice president. “We’ve grown so much since opening our first Midwest store in Chicago in 1993, and as our growth continues, this distribution center helps us continue our mission of providing access to fresh, healthy foods and supporting the communities where we do business.”

The new distribution center will occupy previously empty land and join two major suppliers, Method and Gotham Greens, in the Pullman neighborhood.