J.M. Smucker Commits $1.1B to Open New Manufacturing Plant

American food firm J.M. Smucker Co. is gearing up to start a $1.1 billion project to build a new manufacturing plant in the Birmingham, AL area that will support its Smucker’s Uncrustables brand, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced Thursday.

“Our Smucker’s Uncrustables brand continues to be one of the fastest growing in our portfolio and in the food sector more broadly. We are proud of the success the brand has achieved, due in no small part to the tremendous efforts of our employees, and we are excited to take advantage of the opportunities and growth our investments will enable,” Mark Smucker, president and chief executive officer of J.M. Smucker, said in a statement.

The facility will be constructed in McCalla, AL’s JeffMet Industrial Complex over three phases starting in January. Operations are expected to begin there in 2025.

Increased demand for the frozen handheld sandwiches prompted the company’s decision to invest in the Alabama plant. The brand brings in $500 million in annual net sales and has generated double-digit growth over the last ten years.

J.M. Smucker also operates Uncrustables production sites in Scottsville, KY and Longmont, CO. The company said it also is expanding its Longmont plant as part of a broader effort to double its capacity for the products and reach $1 billion in annual net sales over the next five years.