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Smucker’s is building a $1.1B facility in McCalla, which means a lot of jobs (and Uncrustables)
You know what they say, “with a name like Smucker’s…it has to be good.” Well, Birmingham, we’ve got some good news to share. The lunchbox favorite is headed to McCalla, and they’re bringing 750 new jobs with them. Read on for the full details.
Household name headed to town
If you love Uncrustables, you’re in good company. The demand for these frozen handheld sandwiches is so high that the company is aiming to more than double their current production capacity.
And that’s where we come in. Jefferson County (specifically McCalla) will be home to a new $1.1B manufacturing facility that will help them meet their goal of $1B in annual net sales of Uncrustables over the next five years. Now that is a lot of PB&J.
“Our Smucker’s® Uncrustables® brand continues to be one of the fastest growing in our portfolio and in the food sector more broadly. We are proud of the success the brand has achieved, due in no small part to the tremendous efforts of our employees, and we’re excited to take advantage of the opportunities and growth our investments will enable. We appreciate the support we have received from the state of Alabama and Jefferson County officials, and we look forward to being a part of the greater Birmingham community.”
—Mark Smucker, President and CEO, The J.M. Smucker Co.
Smucker’s construction timeline
According to The Office of Governor Kay Ivey, construction of the facility will begin no later than January 2022 at the JeffMet Industrial Park. Production is expected to begin in 2025.
The construction is planned in three separate phases, and will create up to 750 jobs. The J.M. Smucker Co. shared that the investment and job creation will coordinate with the completion of established benchmarks for each stage of the construction.
This is new site is a win-win for the company and Birmingham-area job seekers.
“It is a strategic move for Smucker to leverage Birmingham’s strong distribution and logistics network, central location in the Southeast and a shovel-ready site to seize an opportunity for one of its fastest-growing brands. We are very excited to welcome them to Birmingham and Jefferson County and thank them for bringing jobs to our community that will change lives for the better.”
— Ron Kitchens, CEO, the Birmingham Business Alliance
Making history
If this seems like a major project, it’s because it is. This morning, the Jefferson County Commission announced that it is the largest economic development project in the history of our region.
The J.M. Smucker Co. has purchased approx. 225 acres at JeffMet, which leaves up to 300 acres remaining at the industrial complex. Smucker’s will be in good company, as they join additional projects including AMR Capital, Norfolk Southern and Gulf Distributing, which are all currently under construction.
