LifeLine Foods, Inc., celebrated the completion of its $12 million masa mill expansion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its plant in St. Joseph, MO.
The expanded mill will allow LifeLine to increase its presence producing high-quality masa products in the rapidly growing Mexican food industry in the U.S.
"Masa is a corn flour used to make tortillas, tamales, chips and other products. Today, tortillas not only outsell white sandwich bread, but also hot dog and hamburger buns," says President and CEO Kevin Kelly. "Masa is perceived as healthier, and there is tremendous growth in Hispanic cuisine. This expansion gives us the opportunity to aggressively compete in this category."
LifeLine is positioned for extensive growth for the next five years, Kelly says.
"Looking at and leaning into key consumer market trends has helped shape our growth strategy," he explains. "The capital investments we made in our specialty mill a year ago, which produces Non-GMO and organic products, as well as our now completed Masa mill expansion are evidence of listening to what the market is telling us for growth. We also have invested heavily in our own people. We have a very strong team with decades of experience within the Masa category.”
As part of the Masa mill expansion, LifeLine invested more than $10 million over the last year.
“We process nearly 25 million bushels of corn per year and the corn we use in our facility is grown right here in Northwest Missouri, Northeast Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. We’re appreciative of the City of St. Joseph, the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce and the state of Missouri for their support of our expansion. As LifeLine continues to grow, we are proud that we can continue to grow our presence in the region,” added Kelly.
About LifeLine Foods Inc.
Founded in 2001, LifeLine Foods produces food ingredients such as corn grits, corn meals, pre-gelatinized corn flour and masa. The cooperative is owned by 650 farmer-owners in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. With more than 150 employees, LifeLine’s 780,000-square-foot SQF Level 2-certified milling facility is located within the Corn Belt in St. Joseph, MO.
