Dive Brief:
- SK Food Group will invest $205.2 million in a Cleveland, Tennessee, manufacturing facility to meet growing consumer demand, according to a Jan. 19 press release.
- The site will be the Arizona-based custom foods manufacturer’s fourth production facility. It’s set to create 840 jobs by 2030.
- Construction on the 525,000-square-foot manufacturing facility is expected to begin later this year, with completion slated for 2025.
Dive Insight:
The new site will include production of sandwiches, wraps, snacks, flatbreads, burgers and other protein snacks. The plant will also use automation to assist with sandwich assembly and food handling.
As part of the project, SK Food Group President Dustin Dixon said the company will invest in proprietary workforce development and training to leverage Bradley County’s talent. The facility will be located on a 55-acre lot in the Spring Branch Industrial Park.
Food manufacturing is a growing part of the county’s economy, Bradley County Mayor Gary Davis said in a statement.
“Manufacturing has been an anchor of Bradley County’s economy since our founding, and food production has been an important component for much of that history,” Davis said in the announcement. “Their state-of-the-art facility for prepared foods is exactly what we have been working to bring to the Spring Branch Industrial Park.”
SK Food Group is one of multiple food manufacturers moving into Tennessee. Last month, health food manufacturer HealthVerve announced plans to invest $2.2 million in a production facility in Livingston, Tennessee.
