KANSAS CITY — Iowa-based West Liberty Foods and SD-based Dakota Dunes Vertical Cold Storage will collaborate on a 327,000-square-foot food processing center and support a cold storage facility, according to the Kansas City Area Development Council.
The two companies plan to invest a total of $199.6 million in the project. The facilities will be directly connected and will create 583 jobs, with a payroll of $39.7 million.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to expand our signature protein offering with our new take-out prepackaged sandwich program,” said Brandon Achen, chief executive officer of West Liberty Foods. “Because of its proximity to key project stakeholders, Kansas City is an ideal location to house our latest technology, and we look forward to the growth this area has to offer.”
The food processing center and cold storage facility will support the production of take-out sandwiches and will be located at the I-49 Industrial Center within the 49 Crossing Industrial Park.
West Liberty Foods produces nearly 650 million pounds of food products each year for grocery stores and restaurants in the United States, ranking among the top 50 protein processors in North America. In addition to its headquarters in Iowa, it has facilities in Utah and Illinois, and now its first expansion in Missouri. Vertical Cold Storage provides complete cold storage services for frozen and refrigerated food nationwide. This will be the company’s sixth location.
