Plant Openings
Archer to Open Second Manufacturing Plant in Los Angeles
Image courtesy of Archer.
Archer plans to open a second manufacturing facility in Los Angeles, an expansion designed to fuel continued growth and create local jobs. Located in Vernon, Calif., the facility underscores Archer’s long-term commitment to Los Angeles while positioning the company to scale rapidly amid surging demand.
“The explosive growth of our meat stick products made increasing our production capabilities essential, and doing this in Los Angeles was an intentional choice,” says Eugene Kang, founder and CEO of Archer. “Our founding principle has always been that supply chain ownership is crucial for maximizing margins and ensuring quality control, as evidenced by our jerky business. This expansion represents our next strategic step to vertically integrate our fastest-growing product line.”
The need for additional production capacity comes as Archer’s 90% year-over-year sales increase outpaced the category’s 5.8% growth. As consumer demand grows for clean-ingredient, protein-rich, convenient snacks, Archer has positioned itself in the segment. The company has seen performance across its product portfolio, particularly in meat sticks. Archer’s meat stick sales grew by 187.4%, making the company one of the drivers of the meat stick category’s growth.
The new facility will nearly double Archer’s overall manufacturing capacity and will be primarily focused on producing Archer’s lineup of meat sticks. This will improve the company’s flexibility and speed to market, as well as provide synergies for training and development with Archer’s existing facility, which is located in San Bernardino, Calif. The Vernon plant will exclusively produce meat sticks, while the San Bernardino plant will continue to produce both jerky and meat sticks.
Built for meat processing and previously operated by Farmer John for 90 years, the Vernon facility is nearly 140,000 sq. ft. and capable of both processing and packaging. It is slated to be operational in early September.
Committed to supporting Los Angeles, Archer employs over 150 Californians in its San Bernardino manufacturing facility and expects to add more than 200 jobs at the Vernon facility, with initial hiring and onboarding to begin this summer. In April, Archer started its sponsorship of the Los Angeles Dodgers, further evidence of its commitment to the local community.
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