ST. LOUIS — American Foods Group, a Green Bay, Wisconsin-based beef processor, has begun work on a new facility near Wright City in Warren County.
The company, which announced plans for the facility in November last year, is investing $800 million in the new 775,000-square-foot beef processing plant, officials said Monday in a press release. AFG broke ground on the project Monday.
The new plant is expected to bring over 1,300 new jobs with an annual payroll of about $80 million, and generate $1 billion in economic impact in Missouri, state officials said.
AFG plans to process 2,400 cattle per day at the new facility, which it plans to have fully operational by the end of 2024.
"Today marks the start of our future in Warren County, Missouri, the addition of industry-needed hook space and fulfilling the needs of our customers, partners, and consumers for beef demand," Steve Van Lannen, president and COO of AFG, said Monday in the press release.
AFG, which says it's one of the nation's largest beef processors with more than 4,500 employees across the U.S., is owned by Rosen's Diversified Inc., a privately held Minnesota-based agribusiness. AFG provides fresh, frozen and prepared beef products to the foodservice, retail and international markets.
The Greater Warren County Economic Development Council, Missouri Partnership, Greater St. Louis Inc. and Warren County officials began working with AFG in the spring of 2021 as the company evaluated locations in multiple states, officials said last fall. Warren County is on the far western edge of the St. Louis metro area.
"When AFG first approached our team about this project via the Harvest Group, we knew it would be extremely competitive. However, we were confident Missouri's history in food processing, strengths in agriculture, and our central location would help us win AFG for our state," stated Subash Alias, CEO of Missouri Partnership, a public-private economic development organization.
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