A meat snack company that recently expanded into central Missouri is already seeing rapid growth. Western Smokehouse Partners opened its new plant in Mexico, located in Audrain County, back in August.
CEO Matt Bormann told Missourinet that things took off fast.
“We are up to 122 employees with about 8 starting next week as well. On the way to 300 eventually,” said Bormann. “So, it’s ramping up very nicely. About to add 2nd shift to unlock even more volume and then when the new expansion goes, we’ll keep growing from there.”
Bormann said the company offers a full benefits package, and the starting wage is $19 an hour — making it a competitive opportunity for job seekers in Missouri.
He said while expansion is going well, the cost of doing business has dramatically increased, especially when it comes to beef.
Bormann told Missourinet that they use a lot of grass-fed beef in their meat sticks, and prices have surged.
“So far, we haven’t seen really too much of an impact to our brands,” said Bormann. “And orders remain robust, but there is kind of concern of when is too much for the consumer, when is beef too high, where people start making decisions and pull back?”
He answered whether more expansion is coming to the Show-Me State.
“Obviously, being a local in Missouri, I always have a bias for Missouri. And so, if the opportunity is right and we need additional volume, we would definitely keep an eye on Missouri,” said Bormann. “But I’d say right now, we just need to see where all these ramps go and where demand goes before we make any further decisions on where we go next.”
Western Smokehouse Partners operates in Greentop in northern Missouri and recently opened a plant in Illinois.
The company has a total of seven plants across the United States.
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