Allen Harim Monday held a ceremony marking the renovation of its Harbeson chicken processing site.
The company has invested $30 million so far on the renovation project, and expects to invest another $10 million the end of 2017.
Hong-Kuk Kim, Chairman of Harim Group (Allen Harim’s parent company) traveled from South Korea for the ceremony. He spoke about the company’s growth and outlook for the future.
“As we grow our operations in Delaware, and expand across the United States, we remain committed to supporting both the local communities in which we operate, and the U.S. chicken industry of which we are proud to be a member,” Kim said.
In June, Allen Harim consolidated its processing operations, bringing it all under one roof at Harbeson. The move was meant to take advantage of every aspect of the newly renovated facility, a release stated. A smaller processing site in Cordova, MD was closed.
Allen employs more than 1,650 people in Delaware.
“I’m pleased that Allen Harim has chosen to expand in Delaware and I’m encouraged by the positive impact it will have on job creation here at the plant and on the hundreds of family farms who supply this facility,” Gov. Jack Markell said. “This investment is a strong expression of confidence in Delaware’s workers, our vibrant agriculture community, and government and business leaders who work together to create an excellent climate for growth and opportunity.”
Upgrades were completed across nearly every aspect of the 190,000 square-foot facility. A great deal of attention was paid to making the facility a better workplace, a release stated.
The main entrance was renovated with a welcoming three-dimensional mural that includes a blossoming tree, embodying the translation of the Korean word “Harim” as “summer forest.” New lighting, an upgrade of the employee cafeteria, completely new restrooms, a new human resources department area, new conference and meeting rooms, and a new employee equipment room were all added.
The plant was reconfigured to allow the installation of new equipment to meet rising customer demands. A new wastewater treatment facility and the construction of a solar farm, were key parts of the project.
“A tremendous amount of hard work has gone into the renovation of the facility, and there is no doubt that we are well-positioned for growth said Joe Moran, CEO of Allen Harim. “We are now better positioned to meet our current and future customer demands across the U.S., and we will do it more efficiently and sustainably than ever before.”
The Harbeson plant processes 1.8 million birds a week for its traditional Allen Harim brand, the “never-ever antibiotic,” Nature’s Sensation line and the Oasis brand. Each line includes fresh whole birds and parts, tray pack bone-in parts, and boneless chicken products.
The company sells products under its own brand names and under private label to grocery stores in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. Ingredient products are sold to a range of customers across the country. Allen Harim customers include Whole Foods, Chipotle, Applegate, Panera, Raising Cane’s, Market Basket, Foodtown and Shop Rite, among others.
Headquartered in Seaford, Allen Harim also has a breeding operation in Liberty, NC; a hatchery in Dagsboro; and a hatchery and feed mill in Seaford. The company employs more than 1,750 people in the United States. It also has more than 230 independent growers and 20 company farms across Delmarva.
Allen Harim also bought a former pickle plant in Millsboro, but later announced it would not do any production work at the site. The site had run into opposition from neighbors and environmental activists. There was also concern about the expansion in Harbeson.
