Walmart enters the beef business with packing facility in Georgia

By Greg Henderson for Drovers... | Jan. 10, 2020
Walmart hosted a grand opening of its new meat processing facility in Thomasville, Georgia, on Friday as the world’s largest retailer enters the beef business.
The 200,000-square-foot processing facility will employ 350 people and is part of Walmart’s $90 million commitment to supply Angus beef to 500 retail stores in the southeast.
In April, 2019, Walmart announced it was partnering with 44 Farms, a Cameron, Texas-based Angus seedstock operation, to create its branded beef program. 44 Farms sources Angus calves from ranchers who use its Angus Strong genetics and send them to Mc6 Cattle Feeders in Hereford, Tex., for finishing.
The finished cattle will be slaughtered at Creekstone Farms, Arkansas City, Kan., which has its own line of branded beef. From there the beef will go to the new Georgia facility to be packaged and further processed for Walmart’s branded program. Walmart says the product line will create a total of 450 new jobs in Kansas and Georgia.
In a statement issued when the program was announced, Scott Neal, Walmart Senior VP Meat, said: “Beef is an important purchase for our customer… it’s likely the most expensive item on their plate, and they are treating themselves when they buy it. Creating this supply chain allows us to treat our customers by giving them unprecedented quality and transparency.
“Our customers can trust that what they pick up from our meat department will be among the best – and most delicious – meat they can get. Having visibility to the end-to-end process lets us know we are helping our customers bring a consistently great piece of meat to their table every time they buy with us.
“We’re proud this supply chain program will help with job creation, and we’re proud to work alongside companies with a strong history in the industry. Together, our beef program can truly change the dynamics of the beef industry.”
Each week, over 275 million customers and members visit Walmart’s more than 11,300 stores under 58 banners in 27 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2019 revenue of $514.4 billion, Walmart employs over 2.2 million associates worldwide.
Read the full story at Drovers…