Kraft Heinz Opens Facility After $250M Expansion

By Adina Marcut

Kraft Heinz Cuts Ribbon on Kirksville, Mo., Plant Expansion

Kraft Heinz Co. recently announced the opening of its recently expanded facility located in Kirksville, Mo. The company announced it was moving its production from this facility in late 2014, but decided a year later to keep its local plant and invest $250 million in an expansion of the property instead.

The firm invested in a massive renovation of the existing facility, adding nearly 262,000 square feet to its previous 188,000-square-foot facility, and adding state-of-the-art food processing equipment. The company will add about 200 new jobs by the end of the year and seven new production lines for Oscar Mayer meats as part of the new expansion project.

Open since 1985, the Kraft Heinz facility currently produces ham products. The expansion will allow the company to begin producing additional products like turkey, bologna and salami. The additional jobs will bring the plant’s total employment up to about 550, with 100 more than when the company announced in late 2014 it was moving their production line from Kirksville, Mo. to Coshocton, Ohio, as reported by Ktvo.com.

“This has been more than a year-long process of expansion, but well worth it. The capital investment, jobs, and additional taxes have added and will continue to give a boom to our community,” Carolyn Chrisman, executive director said in prepared remarks.