Italian Salami sausage slices, isolated on white background

Smithfield Completes Acquisition of Nashville Dry Sausage Plant

July 31, 2024

Cargill sold the Tennessee dry sausage production facility to Smithfield, which will use the added capacity to make a stronger growth play in its packaged meats division.

Andy Hanacek

Smithfield Foods has completed its purchase of Cargill’s Nashville, Tenn., dry sausage production facility, according to a release from the company. The transaction was announced in early June 2024, with terms of the agreement not disclosed.

Adding the plant to the Smithfield operations network is expected to help the company grow its value-added packaged meats segment, which includes the Margherita, Carando and Armour brands, by adding 50 million pounds of dry sausage production capacity annually. Smithfield believes it is now poised to capitalize and rapidly grow its business in the category, said Steve France, president of packaged meats for Smithfield Foods. He also welcomed the facility’s workforce and existing customers to Smithfield.

Employees at the Nashville facility were formally offered employment with Smithfield in the same positions they held for Cargill, with a benefits package including comprehensive medical coverage, a free-tuition program and other benefits, the released noted.

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.