March 13, 2014
Peco announces US$165-million poultry project in Arkansas, US
Peco Foods announced plans to build a US$165-million fully-integrated poultry complex in Randolph and Clay Counties in north-eastern Arkansas in the United States, including a hatchery, a feed mill and a processing plant.
Construction will begin in two phases: ground-breaking on the feed mill site is set for April and the first stages of work on the hatchery and processing plant will begin in July.
President and CEO of Peco Foods, Mark Hickman said Peco will incorporate state-of-the-art waste water treatment and protein conversion facilities in the new complex and will utilise the latest technology.
"Historically, one of the biggest challenges facing any poultry company is the treatment of wastewater and the conversion of by-products in a manner that is environmentally appropriate as well as cost effective," Hickman said. "In keeping with our commitment to protect the environment, we believe the new systems will be a model for the industry."
Hickman emphasised that one of the most important aspects of this new complex is that it will enable Peco Foods to expand its rapidly-growing niche as a preferred supplier of raw poultry commodity meats for value-added national accounts. He described that as a key strategy of the company''s growth going forward.
Peco Foods, headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is a premier jumbo bird company supplying a variety of boneless products to national restaurant chains, regional food service distributors, and retail grocers to customers throughout the United States and in world markets.
The company has had a presence in Arkansas since 2011 when the company acquired the Townsends Poultry Complex in Batesville. In addition to the Batesville facility, Peco operates a feed mill in Newark, Arkansas. Through such acquisitions and expansions, Peco has grown to become the eighth largest poultry producer in the United States, processing approximately 24 million pounds of poultry each week.