Bell & Evans has purchased a 62.99-acre property located next to its existing chicken plant in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania.
According to LebTown, the property, located at 241 Blue Mountain Road, was acquired for $2.5 million. The transaction was recorded with Lebanon County on April 14.
Bell & Evans plans to build another chicken processing plant and expand hatchery operations on the newly acquired land.
Expansions to chicken processing plant, hatchery
The lot is adjacent to the Bell & Evans 411,500 square foot chicken processing plant that opened in December 2021. Construction on this facility began in July 2020 and cost the company $330 million to build.
The organic certified chicken harvesting facility was named the 2022 Food Plant of the Year by Food Engineering. The Bell & Evans facility not only won the award due to its operational efficiency but due to its commitment to employee and animal welfare as well.
The site is also the location of a 160,000 square foot facility that hatches 1.9 million chicks per week. The hatchery provides immediate access to organic-certified feed, fresh water and light and is 100% formaldehyde free.
Bell & Evans did not respond to a WATTPoultry.com request for comment.
Bell & Evans produces 100% premium raised without antibiotics chicken and organic chicken, which respectively makes up about 60% and 40% of its business.
