Snak-Time Foods, a producer of sandwich and biscuit products for food service companies, will likely begin its hiring process as early as October, according to a company official.

In March, Cherokee County Council approved a tax incentive package that cleared the way for the company to relocate to the former Progressive Screen building on Beech Street.

The company plans to hire 40 workers, with the majority of new hires coming from Cherokee County. The workforce could swell to as many as 70 workers within five years.

The North Carolina-based company plans to invest $800,000 in the plant.

Snak-Time supplies schools and vending machines with biscuits, hoagies and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Once operational with new machinery, the plant will produce as many as 10,000 sandwiches an hour and 38,000 sandwiches per shift.

Snak-Time's parent corporation is West Virginia-based Tasty Blend Food, Inc.

Another new manufacturer, Tampabased DSE, is also expected to begin hiring soon.

DSE is spending $25 million to convert a vacant Cherokee County textile plant into a facility to manufacture ammunition for the U.S. military. That manufacturer could employ as many as 200 workers over the next five years.