Tyson Foods is investing US$26 million to expand production at its Wright Brand Bacon facility in Vernon, Texas, US – scheduled for completion by March. 

According to Tyson Foods, the bacon category has seen volume growth, up 18 percent since 2017, with new consumers entering the category and existing buyers consuming more bacon, most recently due to increased at-home meals amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Surpassing category growth during this period, Wright Brand has increased volume by 29 percent as more buyers are introduced to the brand. The expansion is expected to satisfy current demand and allow room for additional growth.

“We continue to build on the heritage of this brand,” says Noelle O’Mara, group president of Prepared Foods for Tyson Foods. “More importantly, we’ve had a strong presence in Vernon for nearly 100 years as one of the largest employers.”

The Wright Brand is known for its hand-trimmed, and thick-cut real wood smoked bacon. 

Flavors have been perfected through a 90-year proprietary curing recipe, featuring favorites including hickory-smoked, applewood smoked, double smoke and maple-flavored bacon.

Growth in global communities
Tyson Foods and its family of companies operate ten food processing plants in Texas, employing more than 12,000people and paying more than US$480 million in annual wages as of the most recently completed fiscal year. 

The company also contracts with more than 230 poultry growers and more than 90 cattle suppliers in the state. It’s estimated Tyson Foods’ operations have a total annual impact of nearly US$3 billion in Texas.

“This project is great news for our plant, our community and our customers,” says Dane Bonfy, manager of the Wright Brand plant. “We look forward to growing our team with additional positions and meeting the growing demand for our products.”

According to Bonfy, hiring for these and other positions will start immediately.

In November, Tyson Foods revealed its plans to build production facilities in China and Thailand while expanding its facility in the Netherlands. 

The expansions, adding over 100,000 metric tons of fully cooked poultry capacity, build on its global growth strategy. The developments will create direct and indirect jobs as production starts in local communities. 

Meanwhile, late in 2019, Tyson Fresh Meats, the beef and pork subsidiary of Tyson Foods, agreed to collaborate on a project that could lead to constructing a modern beef processing plant in Kazakhstan. 

The agreement with the Republic of Kazakhstan and private holding company Kusto Group was projected to help provide an annual agricultural economic benefit to the country well above US$1 billion.