Beef and pork giant buys Minnesota meat plant, saving it from closure
More than 100 employees of a meat processing plant in southwest Minnesota will keep their jobs after a food giant swooped in to save the facility from closure.
J&B Group was set to close the facility in Pipestone this month, with the company revealing in September it intended to shift production to its plant in St. Michael.
However, on Tuesday it was announced that an agreement had been reached for it to be acquired by JBS USA, a subsidiary of Brazil-based JBS S.A., the world's largest processor of fresh beef and pork.
A press release announcing the agreement said that the move would protect "more than 130 jobs" and ensure that the plant "remains a significant economic contributor to the Pipestone community for years to come."
"We are excited to welcome the Pipestone team members to JBS USA," said Bob Krebs, COO, JBS USA Pork. "We have worked with the J&B team under the common goals of preserving jobs and creating a sustainable future for the facility."
"We believe the facility’s infrastructure and accomplished workforce present a great opportunity to expand our ability to provide high-quality products to both domestic and export markets," he added. "We plan on investing in the facility and growing the business, allowing our new team members and the local community to grow with us."
JBS USA has two other locations in Minnesota: a pork processing facility in Worthington that employs more than 2,000 workers, and a poultry facility in Cold Spring, which it took over in 2017 after it bought Gold 'N Plump.
