Smithfield Foods has completed its purchase of a premier dry sausage production facility in Nashville, Tenn., from Cargill. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, the company said in a release on July 31.
Smithfield says it is poised to continue to expand its packaged meats business in the rapidly growing dry sausage category.
The transaction fuels the company’s strategy of continued growth in the value-added packaged meats segment, the release said. This purchase will add dry sausage production capacity of 50 million lb. per year. Production from the Nashville facility will support Smithfield’s existing portfolio of dry sausage brands including Margherita, Carando and Armour.
“With the added capacity from this facility, Smithfield is poised to continue to expand our packaged meats business in the rapidly growing dry sausage category,” Steve France, president of packaged meats for Smithfield Foods, said in a release. “We are pleased to welcome the employees at Nashville to the Smithfield team and look forward to continuing to serve the facility’s existing customers.”
The company noted that it has made formal offers of employment to all employees at the Nashville facility for the same positions they previously held, with a benefits package that includes comprehensive medical coverage, a free-tuition program and other benefits.
Headquartered in Smithfield, Va., Smithfield Foods, Inc. is a U.S. food company that employs more than 54,000 people in seven countries and partners with thousands of American farmers.
