Jensen Meat expands production

Jensen Meat, a producer of ground beef for such private brands as Walmart’s Great Value, Sam’s Choice and Kroger, is investing $9 million to grow its operations in Southern California.

The investment will create 50 new jobs in the region and renovate the plant to increase production capacity by more than 30 million pounds of ground beef. 

Enhancements at the plant include a renovated fresh processing room and the addition of two new individually quick frozen (IQF) lines for individually frozen patties. The fresh processing room construction expects to be finished in March, and plant operations will not be affected by the work, the company said.

Jensen Meat has experienced double-digit growth in recent years, and the latest investments join recent enhancements such as the installation of solar-powered cells to decrease waste and reduce its energy footprint. The company also secured co-packing relationships with businesses in the plant-based meat sector.

Jensen Meat was founded in 1958 by Reggie Jensen and now employs a staff of nearly 400 people. Producing more than 75 million pounds of ground beef annually for retail and foodservice clients.

The Otay Mesa, Calif.-based company runs a 150,000 sq. ft. plant, manufacturing 250 SKUs for retail and foodservice such as frozen and fresh patties. With the investment, that production will increase.