Pilgrim’s Pride will invest $75 million in an expansion in Douglas, GA.
The expansion will be used primarily for producing pet food ingredients by processing chicken byproducts.
The facility will include several cutting-edge technologies to meet high quality and sustainability standards. These include: the latest odor-elimination technology to prevent odors from entering the area surrounding the plant; an on-site water treatment plant that exceeds state water quality standards; and indoor receiving bays to receive and clean trucks inside the plant.
The expansion will create 53 new, permanent jobs, as well as dozens of construction and trade jobs during development of the facility.
“I am excited for the continued investment that Pilgrim’s is making in this community," said Douglas Mayor Tony Paulk.
"With this investment, this makes Pilgrim’s a fully integrated operation – hatchery, growth houses, kill facility, feed mill and now the pet food ingredient operations."
Pilgrim's Pride presence in Georgia
Pilgrim’s already has a significant presence in Georgia, employing more than 8,000 people and paying local growers more than $152 million each year to support its facilities in the state, said the City of Douglas.
Pilgrim’s has an annual payroll in Georgia of more than $440 million and contributed nearly $270 million in capital investments over the last five years.
Locally, Pilgrim’s employs over 800 at its current Douglas complex, in addition to having over 90 growers across Coffee County, Georgia.
Pilgrim’s is the anchor for dozens of rural communities, operating more than 30 meat, poultry, and prepared foods facilities and employing more than 31,000 people in the U.S. Pilgrim’s is committed to being a model corporate citizen and an active member in the communities where their team members live and work.
