GREELEY, COLO. – Swift Prepared Foods, a subsidiary of JBS USA, announced plans to invest $200 million in a new Italian meats and charcuterie production facility in Columbia, Mo.  The 325,000-sq.-ft. Italian meats facility will be located at 5008 Paris Road. The decision depends upon pending project approvals and agreements, Swift said.

The company announced the project in August 2020 and, since then, has scouted multiple locations for the plant. Executives chose Columbia as the home of the new facility because of city’s strategic location, business-friendly environment and access to raw materials. The location also enables Swift to leverage synergies with existing strategic assets, the company said. Construction is set to begin in late April 2021, and the company expects to employ more than 250 people, offering full-time positions with benefits.

“We are excited to join the Columbia community and to bring good-paying jobs and innovation to the area with the addition of this new, state-of-the-art facility,” said Thomas Lopez, president and chief operating officer of Swift Prepared Foods. “After an extensive review of potential locations, we are confident that Columbia is a great fit for our company, and this decision supports our focus on continued growth.”

Swift Prepared Foods currently operates six production facilities in Booneville, Miss.; Elkhart, Ind.; Council Bluffs, Iowa; Ottumwa, Iowa; and Swanton, Vt. The company’s newest ready-to-eat bacon facility is opening in May in Moberly, Mo.

“This project will further solidify Columbia’s standing in the food manufacturing industry, complementing other great Columbia employers like Aurora Organic Dairy, Kraft Heinz, Quaker Oats and Beyond Meat,” said Brian Treece, mayor of Columbia. “Having Swift Prepared Foods in our community will bring new living-wage jobs and career opportunities for Columbia families.”