Meat snacks brand Archer has opened its newest processing plant in Vernon, Calif., doubling its production capacity and allowing the company to keep pace with consumer demand for clean-ingredient meat sticks.
The Vernon plant features 140,000 sq. ft. of floorspace that will be capable of producing more than 36 million pounds of meat sticks per year — or more than 1 billion Archer Mini Sticks annually.
All this for a meat snacks company expected to top half-a-billion in sales by the end of 2026, the company noted in the release on the grand opening. Archer is experiencing a 90% year-over-year sales increase currently, it said.
The facility renovation was announced in May 2025, and the building is on the former site of the Farmer John business (owned by Smithfield Foods). Eugene Kang, founder and CEO of Archer, said the facility sets the company up “for long-term category leadership by investing in our own infrastructure,” and that it represents the business’ strength today and “commitment to building for tomorrow.”
Archer held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility, which will employ more than 200 people — adding to the company’s 150 employees currently employed at the San Bernadino, Calif., plant.
About the Author
Andy Hanacek
Senior Editor
Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.