US company Monogram Food Solutions is investing US$36.5m to expand its value-added meat processing site in Henry County, Virginia.

Monogram, formed in 2004 when a group of investors purchased the King Cotton and Circle B Brand Meats business from the then Sara Lee Corp., employs around 400 people at the site. This latest investment will add 200 positions to the headcount at the facility, Karl Schledwitz, chairman and CEO of Monogram Food Solutions, revealed. “When we purchased the facility in 2009, there were about 125 associates. This expansion will take employment to over 600,” he said.

Monogram Meat Snacks, a division of Monogram Food Solutions, manufactures meat snacks, including jerky, meat and cheese snacks, kippered beef sticks and pickled sausages. The company’s brands include Wild Bill’s, O’Brien’s, Trail’s Best, Hannah’s, Bull’s and licensed brands Bass Pro Shop’s Uncle Buck’s, Johnsonville and Butterball. Monogram Food Solutions also produces private-label meat snacks, smoked meats, corn dogs and pre-cooked bacon.

Monogram operates facilities in Minnesota, Indiana, Texas and Iowa, as well as the Henry County plant. The investment in Virginia is being supported by a $400,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund and $835,000 from The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission.