Snack foods company Chomps has announced it will open a new, state-of-the-art processing plant in Mexico, Mo., in 2025, representing the next phase in the company’s strategic partnership with Western Smokehouse Partners (WSP) and its future growth curve.
The facility is a co-investment with WSP, and Chomps believes the timing is perfect for the company, as it boasted a 206% sales growth rate while the meat snack category grew sales by 9%, according to SPINS data cited in Chomps’ announcement of the facility.
The 300,000-sq.-ft. facility is expected to create roughly 250 full-time jobs (employed by WSP) at first, with the potential for future expansion and more jobs. This will be the first Chomps facility dedicated exclusively to its own products.
Chomps and WSP decided on the mid-Missouri location based on the availability of a space that could be retrofitted to meet USDA-certification requirements, the area’s skilled labor pool and the proximity to other WSP facilities that will guide the leadership and startup of the new facility. In addition, the proximity to interstates was crucial in order to support future nationwide growth.
Chomps and WSP first collaborated in 2016, when the partners opened their Greentop, Mo., facility, and Chomps said that WSP has played a crucial role in supporting its growth. Two of WSP’s facilities produce Chomps products currently.
