Cargill Inc. is investing $12 million to expand its Mason City, Iowa, facility as demand for baked and cooked egg entrees grows.
Cargill expands Mason City plant as consumers eat more eggs
The Minnetonka-based agribusiness is growing capacity to produce pre-made egg products as consumers flock to protein-rich foods.
By KRISTEN LEE PAINTER, Star Tribune
April 26, 2017 at 1:43AM
At least 44 jobs will be added to the more than 250 positions currently filled at the Mason City plant. The expansion will add more than 12,000 square feet to the existing 156,371-square-foot facility, the company said Tuesday.
The cooked egg operation makes pre-made egg entrees or patties for food service and retail companies. It also makes refrigerated liquid pasteurized eggs. This is one of just four cooked-egg facilities Cargill operates in the U.S. There is one in Michigan, one in Monticello, Minn., and another in Big Lake, Minn. The Michigan plant underwent a $27 million expansion last May.
Wayzata-based Cargill said the expansion was necessary to meet growing demand for pre-made egg-based foods. Eggs are a good source of protein so the plant's products dovetail with a consumer trend toward protein-rich foods and more filling breakfasts.
"Helping our customers deliver high-quality, nutritious, delicious and affordable egg protein to consumers has led to multiple expansions since the facility opened in 2001 with three dozen employees and the desire to successfully grow the business," Jessica Reith, the general manager at the facility, said in a statement.
Iowa is the nation's leading egg producer with more than 54 million egg-laying hens, according to the American Egg Board.
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KRISTEN LEE PAINTER, Star Tribune
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