General Mills Expanding Frozen Dough Plant in Joplin, Missouri

Aug. 31, 2023

Expected to be completed in early 2024, the facility addition will allow for nearly 1 billion pounds of frozen dough products to be produced annually.

Andy Hanacek

General Mills will expand its frozen dough plant in Joplin, Mo., investing $48 million and creating 47 new jobs, according to a release from the Missouri Dept. of Economic Development. Construction on the expansion, which will increase manufacturing and packaging capacity, is already underway and is scheduled to be completed in early 2024, the release said. The expansion is being driven by increased demand and product innovation in the foodservice channel.

The expansion is expected to incorporate some automation into the processing and packaging operations, improving efficiency and giving the plant the ability to produce more than 1 billion pounds of frozen dough products per year when it is completed. According to news reports on the expansion, the facility will grow by more than 30,000 square feet and boost the workforce to 575 employees.

General Mills is taking advantage of state programs to access capital for the expansion, and the Missouri One Start division of the Dept. of Economic Development is also assisting the facility with recruitment and training.

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.