Bob Evans Farms Inc. will expand two of its BEF Foods plants, adding jobs and increasing local payrolls, the company announced.
The company’s Xenia, Ohio, and Hillsdale, Mich., plants will be expanded to boost overall capacity and processing volume in fresh production.
The expansions reflect the company’s overhaul of its foods’ business. The effort has included investments in plants and transportation center operations; the acquisition of Lima, Ohio-based Kettle Creations and a subsequent expansion of that facility; and expansion of the its Sulphur Springs, Texas, plant.
Steve Davis, chairman and CEO of Bob Evans Farms, said in a news release that since 2011, Bob Evans will have invested more than $194 million in the state as part of its BEST to Invest in Ohio initiative.
In the coming weeks Bob Evans will begin expansion of the Xenia plant, where the company is spending more than $6 million to grow the current 30,000-square-foot facility. The project includes 2,600 feet of improvements to production and employee areas, as well as equipment upgrades.
Nearly 90 people are employed at the Xenia location. The company expects the expansion to add 22 new jobs.
Similar expansion is planned as part of the $4 million investment in Hillsdale, Mich., which will increase production volume, enhance food safety and quality assurance, and renovate existing facilities. The Hillsdale plant employs more than 100 people, and the expansion is expected to create 17 new jobs and increase local payroll by more than $600,000.