JBS-Owned Firm to Erect Italian Meats Plant in Missouri

JBS USA subsidiary Swift Prepared Foods is building a new Italian meats and charcuterie production facility in Columbia, MO that will create 251 new jobs in the area, the Missouri Department of Economic Development announced in a release Wednesday. The company is investing $200 million in the project.

“We’re excited to join the Columbia community and to bring good-paying jobs and innovation to the area with the addition of this new, state-of-the-art facility,” Thomas Lopez, president and chief operating officer for Swift Prepared Foods, said in a release. “After an extensive review of potential locations, we are confident that Columbia is a great fit for our company, and this decision supports the continued growth we are focused on achieving.”

Swift selected Columbia for the new facility because of its strategic location, access to raw material, the site’s ability to leverage partnerships with existing assets, and the area’s business-friendly climate, according to the department.

“We’re excited to welcome Swift Prepared Foods to Columbia,” Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said in a release. “Missouri is a great place for the company to grow its business and develop a world-class workforce. The investment and the jobs it will create will provide many new opportunities for the mid-Missouri region, and we look forward to seeing the company succeed for years to come.”

JBS USA’s expansion in Missouri comes after the company revealed plans in mid-2020 to construct a new, $200 million Italian meats and charcuterie plant for its subsidiary Plumrose USA. Saint Louis-based Italian charcuterie manufacturer Volpi Foods announced last August that it has started work on a new 87,000-sq-ft meat slicing and packaging plant next to its existing prosciutto processing facility in Union, MO.