One of the largest poultry processors in the U.S., Peco Foods, recently announced plans to build an an expansion onto an existing feed mill and processing plant, both of which are located in Arkansas. Because of their high-volume and overall demand, Peco Foods is going all out with this latest expansion with early estimates placing it in the ballpark of roughly $13.8 million. While this may seem like a pretty steep price tag for just an expansion, the company believes it will greatly increase productivity; therefore, leading to greater profits.
Peco Foods Background
With headquarters based in Alabama, many people are surprised to learn that Peco Foods currently ranks in the top ten largest poultry processors in the U.S. Each week, they process over 4 million chickens, which translates into roughly 22 million pounds of meat.
Peco Foods has been in the poultry business for roughly 60 years, providing consumers with dozens of various products. Unlike other companies, Peco Foods takes a hands on approach to how they process their chicken. When they’re processing breast meat, the de-boning is done by hand to ensure there’s no leftover pieces that could threaten the safety of the consumer. In addition, jumbo tenders have their tendons cut by hand as well. These are just a few of the many extra steps done by Peco Foods that makes them a leader in poultry processing.
New Peco Foods Expansion
As stated above, there are two new expansions planned for Peco Foods – a feed mill and processing plant. The feed mill will be located in Newark, Arkansas, while the processing plant will be located in Batesville, Arkansas. The company expects the expansions to take over a year to complete, but hope it will bring in hundreds of new jobs for Arkansas residents. As you may already know, several cities throughout Arkansas have been struggling as a result of the recent economic downfall. This new Peco Foods expansion will help turn things in the right path.
Something else that’s important to note regarding the new Peco Foods expansion is the fact that they will receive $485,000 from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and $175,000 from Independence County Economic Development. Both of these deposits are done in an effort to boost the state’s suffering economy with more jobs, which it’s sure to create. Of course those incentives are only a drop in the bucket when you consider the total cost of $13.8 million.