Allen Harim moved a step closer to expanding its Delmarva poultry operations with the purchase of a former pickle processing plant in Millsboro from Pinnacle Foods. The agreement was disclosed last month.
“Allen Harim is committed to investing in our people, facilities and infrastructure,” said Steven A. Evans, CEO of Allen Harim. “This acquisition aligns with our strategic plan and supports our company’s vision, mission and values. It is our desire to be a good neighbor in all of the regions in which we operate, and we look forward to becoming part of the fabric of Millsboro.”
Allen Harim is part of a Korean poultry company that acquired assets of the former Allen Family Foods. The purchase ended concern that operations would shut down, due to financial probvlems.
Evans noted that the specific use of the 470,000 square foot complex, which has stood empty for more than two years, will require continued evaluation. Allen Harim anticipates the complex will be initially used as a warehouse and storage facility.
Plans for a poultry processing plant are facing legal challenges from neighbors who claim the site would pollute waterways and increase traffic. Allen Harim has responded by noting that its clean-up plans would address long-standing issues related to the plant.
Supporters of the plant also claim that pollution problems may at least be partly due residential uses in the area. Click here for previous DelawareBusinessDaily.com stories.
Allen Harim employs more than 1,600 people in the United States, including more than 1,000 in the Delaware. During the last year the company added more than 200 jobs in the region, and the new facility is expected to provide additional employment growth in both the short and long term. Allen Harim also partners with more than 200 independent growers and owns and manages 25 company farms in the Delmarva area.
Headquartered in Seaford, Allen Harim operates chicken processing facilities in Harbeson, and Cordova, Md.; breeding operations in Liberty, N.C.; a hatchery in Dagsboro; and a hatchery and feed mill in Seaford.
The company is primarily an industrial meat, private label and food service supplier, with a line of consumer packaged goods mainly available in the Northeastern U.S.
