Heartland Catfish Expands Headquarters with 25,000 Square Feet of Processing and Freezer Capacity
Racks inside the new freezer expansion at Heartland Catfish, which will be filled with frozen catfish awaiting delivery to customers throughout the lower 48 states.
Heartland Catfish Company has completed part one of a two-part expansion that will bring additional freezing and processing capacity to the company’s Mississippi headquarters. The two-pronged expansion will bring up to 40 new jobs to the catfish processor.
The expansion comes at a time when the demand for U.S. farm-raised catfish is increasing and consumers are interested in knowing where their food comes from and how it is produced. These projects will allow Heartland Catfish to strengthen its product quality and customer service programs to best serve their customers throughout the continental United States.
Part one of this expansion, completed at the end of November, 2019, brings 13,000 square-feet of additional freezer capacity, eliminating the need to house frozen product off-site at third-party locations. Frozen catfish products account for more than half of Heartland Catfish’s sales.
“The additional freezer space will allow us to better manage our inventory and improve service to our customers,” said Danny Walker, CEO of Heartland Catfish.
Part two, expected to be completed in early 2020, will create an additional 12,000 square foot processing wing, allowing the company to consolidate all processing capabilities under one roof by relocating further processing operations from a facility in Greensboro, Ala. to the main plant in Mississippi. Bringing all operations together will enhance product quality, yield greater efficiencies and improve the overall customer experience.
“We are always looking for ways to improve our operations,” said Walker. “These projects will allow us to become more efficient in how we process, package and deliver the best catfish available to our customers and end consumers.”
About Heartland Catfish Company
Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Itta Bena, Miss., Heartland Catfish Company has grown into the country’s largest U.S. farm-raised catfish producer and processor. Owned by the Tackett Family of Tackett Fish Farms, Heartland Catfish Company is the largest single producer of farm-raised catfish in the United States and sells fresh and frozen catfish products to retailers and restaurants around the country.
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