Koch Foods expanding Alabama poultry plant

Koch Foods is planning an expansion of its poultry processing plant in Gadsden, Alabama.

Photo courtesy of Pas Reform
Photo courtesy of Pas Reform

Koch Foods is planning an expansion of its poultry processing plant in Gadsden, Alabama.

The company’s expansion plans call for the addition of a fourth processing line, which is expected to increase the plant’s production capacity by about 30 percent. When the expansion is completed, an estimated 200 jobs will be added.

According to a Gadsden Times report, Koch Foods got a boost from the City of Gadsden on August 14, when the city council approved giving 5.43 acres of land adjacent to the existing Koch Foods plant to the company. The council also approved a 10-year tax abatement package that amounts to about $4.2 million.

“They had several choices, and they were looking at several sites, and Gadsden was their choice. We are very fortunate to have them in our community and as an industrial unit within the city of Gadsden and Etowah County,” Bill Greene, assistant director of the Gadsden-Etowah County Industrial Development Authority, said.

Construction related to the expansion project is expected to begin this month.

Other Koch Foods expansion initiatives

Koch Foods, the fifth largest broiler company in the United States, has been actively expanding its operations.

In April, the company revealed that it was adding to its workforce at its poultry plant in Fairfield, Ohio. That facility opened in 1999 with two production lines, but has since grown to include seven production lines.

In January, it was announced that the Illinois-based Koch Foods is completely renovating its hatchery in Henagar, Alabama. When the project is completed, the renovated hatchery will have a weekly setting capacity of more than 3.7 million eggs.

In November 2017, the State of Alabama announced it had awarded a $250,000 grant to the City of Crossville, so it can make improvements to its sewer system to handle added demands brought on by the expansion of the Koch Foods poultry plant in the city. Earlier that year, It was reported that Koch Foods has started construction work to expand its hatchery, also in Crossville. The hatchery currently has a weekly processing capacity of 14 million broilers, but the expansion will increase its capacity to set another 2.1 million eggs per week. The hatchery will use equipment from Pas Reform.

Koch Foods’ company brands include Koch Poultry, Antioch Farms, Cravers, Rogers Royal, Mr. Bennies and numerous private labels.

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