Strauss Brands to Shut Franklin, Wisconsin, Plant Down, Shift Processing to Ruprecht
Beef processor Strauss Brands will close its Franklin, Wis., processing facility and shift production of its grass-fed beef products to Ruprecht, a division of Kilcoy Global Foods, in Mundelein, Ill., according to local news reports and a release from the company.
The closure of the facility will result in the layoff of 70 workers, according to a notice filed with the state of Wisconsin cited in the news article. Layoffs are expected to begin Aug. 5.
Dave Wiggins, CEO of Strauss Brands, called the move “a necessary step” in conjunction with a partnership with Eddy Foods to grow the company’s grass-fed beef product line. By processing the beef at Ruprecht, Strauss can take advantage of Ruprecht’s state-of-the-art processing facility which has benefitted from continued investment in upgrades in processing and food safety technology.
In October 2023, Strauss Brands announced it would end veal and lamb production at the Franklin plant, at which point 127 employees at the Franklin facility lost their jobs. A few days later, the company announced it had sold the veal and lamb business to Catelli Brothers Family of Foods (a subsidiary of Canada-based Preval AG). At that time, the Eddy Foods value-added beef partnership was announced as well.
