ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Daily’s® Premium Meats today announced the opening of its expanded bacon processing facility in St. Joseph, Missouri, a significant investment designed to support growth in bacon products across food service and retail channels.
Daily’s, jointly owned by Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods, produces bacon products marketed and sold by Seaboard Foods under the Daily’s Premium Meats food service brand and Prairie Fresh® and Daily’s retail brands. The investment strengthens Seaboard Foods’ ability to meet customer demand, support the continued growth of the Daily’s brand in food service and expand its retail bacon business through reliable supply and ongoing product innovation.
Bacon continues to be a staple across both retail and food service. In the United States, retail pork bacon accounts for approximately $6.6 billion in annual sales and roughly 1 billion pounds sold annually, while food service contributes an estimated 1.6 billion pounds each year. With bacon remaining a menu favorite and a household staple, the expansion positions the companies to better serve customers’ evolving needs through expanded product offerings, increased flexibility and long-term supply stability.
Supporting growth across food service and retail
The investment reflects a commitment to expanding branded bacon offerings across multiple channels.
For food service operators, the expanded facility enhances Seaboard Foods’ ability to support demand for Daily’s bacon products while providing greater flexibility to meet customer requirements and support future product innovation. Increased production flexibility also supports customer-specific needs, new product development and future growth opportunities.
For retailers, the additional capacity provides a strong foundation for continued growth of Prairie Fresh bacon products. As a newer entrant in the retail bacon category, Prairie Fresh continues to expand its presence with retailers and introduce more consumers to the brand’s portfolio of bacon products.
Expanded capacity enables greater flexibility and innovation
The expansion represents a $100 million investment in increased production capacity, advanced automation and future growth opportunities. The completed project includes four highly automated production lines with the option to add two more, new smokehouse capacity and enhanced bacon bits production capabilities.
A new retail slicing line features advanced weight-controlled slicing technology that enables bacon to be sliced to precise target weights, helping improve portion accuracy and reduce product giveaway. The expansion also introduces a high-speed stack pack line that improves efficiency and supports a growing variety of SKUs, packaging formats and customer specifications.
Advanced processing, slicing, packaging and inspection technologies help improve consistency, enhance product quality, strengthen supply reliability and reduce product handling. The expansion also includes enhanced inspection and quality assurance systems designed to further strengthen food safety and product oversight. The project is expected to create approximately 100 new positions initially, with total employment from the expansion projected to reach approximately 150 positions when fully operational.
The facility was designed with additional space and infrastructure to support future production lines and continued expansion as customer demand evolves.
“This expansion represents a significant investment in the future of Daily’s Premium Meats and reflects the dedication of our team in St. Joseph,” said Joe Richmond, vice president and general manager of Daily’s Premium Meats. “The additional capacity, advanced technology and production flexibility strengthen our ability to consistently deliver the quality, food safety and operational excellence our customers expect while creating a strong foundation for future growth.”
Bacon bits line unlocks value-added growth
A key component of the expansion is the addition of a fully integrated bacon bits production line, creating new opportunities to serve growing demand for value-added bacon ingredients and convenient meal solutions, which is expected to start operations in early 2027.
The plant’s new capability will allow Daily’s to produce high-quality bacon bits through an integrated process that supports consistency, efficiency and product quality from production through packaging. The investment expands the ability to serve food manufacturers, food service operators and retail customers seeking versatile bacon products for a variety of applications.
The expansion also supports future growth in value-added bacon products, an area of increasing interest among food service operators, retailers and consumers looking for convenient, flavor-forward meal solutions.
This capability aligns with broader consumer trends. Sixty-seven percent of American households now report purchasing value-added meats, up significantly from 37% a decade earlier. Consumers are increasingly seeking time-saving meal solutions, ready-to-use ingredients and diverse flavor options that allow them to prepare restaurant-quality meals at home in 30 minutes or less.
Positioned for long-term growth
The expanded St. Joseph facility strengthens the ability to support customers today while creating capacity for future growth and innovation.
“The expanded facility gives us greater capacity and flexibility to serve our customers with the high-quality Daily’s and Prairie Fresh bacon products they trust,” said David Bray, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Seaboard Foods. “It strengthens our ability to provide reliable supply, support growth with food service operators and continue growing the Prairie Fresh bacon business at retail. We’re excited about the opportunities this investment creates to bring innovative bacon solutions to market and help our customers grow.”
About Daily’s Premium Meats
Daily’s® Premium Meats has been producing high-quality bacon for more than 130 years. Founded in 1893 by John R. Daily, the company operates bacon processing facilities in St. Joseph, Missouri, Missoula, Montana, and Salt Lake City. Jointly owned by Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods, Daily’s Premium Meats produces bacon products marketed and sold by Seaboard Foods under the Daily’s Premium Meats food service brand and the Daily’s Premium Meats and Prairie Fresh® retail brands. By combining generations of bacon-making expertise with modern processing capabilities, Daily’s Premium Meats delivers bacon products known for quality, consistency and flavor.
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