MarfoFMA, a division of the French agri-food company Fleury Michon Group, plans to open its first US production plant.
The company is investing over $37m to repurpose the former White Castle distribution site in South Covington, Kentucky.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The factory will manufacture frozen meals, specifically for airline clients, according to a statement issued last week.
“This approach from MarfoFMA aims to deliver dependable service across Europe, the US, and Canada,” according to the statement.
The project is anticipated to generate 78 full-time jobs.
Fleury Michon was founded in 1905 in France. The group expanded into the airline catering business through the acquisition of Quebec-based FMA in 2006 and Netherlands-based Marfo in 2019, later merging them into a single business MarfoFMA.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData“These strategic developments have enabled the group to become a major player in airline catering across Europe and North America,” the company said.
Arnaud Prévéraud, North America area manager of MarfoFMA, said: “This represents an important milestone for the family-owned Fleury Michon Group and its international catering business.
“Through this investment we will be able to add additional capacity to our North American operations, which are currently served exclusively by FMA based in Quebec. We intend to train our local teams in Covington in order to establish our know-how over the long term, for the benefit of our airline customers departing from US airports.”
Just Food has asked MarfoFMA to confirm when the plant works at South Covington will be completed and when production is expected to start.
In the same statement, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) said it gave preliminary approval for a ten-year incentive package under the Kentucky Business Investment programme in December, which could deliver up to $1.5m in performance-based tax incentives.
KEDFA also approved up to $200,000 in additional tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA).
Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky, said: “Today’s announcement is a great reminder that Kentucky’s economic momentum is not only going strong, but that the commonwealth is open and ready for companies from all over the world to establish their New Kentucky Home.”
Notably, in June 2024, Fleury Michon sold its entire stake in Spanish ready-meals venture Platos Tradicionales for €68m (then $73m) to its partner Familia Martínez.
In November of the same year, Fleury Michon announced the sale of its “meal trays” business in Ile de France to Kumo, a locally based producer of Japanese street food.
