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New 400,000 sq ft site to produce 2m lbs of premium bacon weekly, creating 450 jobs in southcentral Kentucky

Tyson Foods has officially opened its new $355 million bacon production facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky, marking a major expansion of the company’s prepared foods division and its capacity to meet rising demand for premium bacon products.

The 400,000-square-foot facility will produce an estimated 2 million pounds of Jimmy Dean and retail bacon products per week, alongside foodservice bacon formats. The site is expected to create nearly 450 new jobs in the region.

Designed with a focus on automation and efficiency, the new facility integrates robotics, driverless forklifts and autonomous guided vehicles to enhance productivity and workplace safety. Tyson said the plant was developed to support innovation across its bacon portfolio, including new flavour varieties, product formats and fully cooked options.

“Our innovative new plant in Bowling Green reflects a major investment that we are proud to make in southcentral Kentucky,” said Donnie King, president and CEO of Tyson Foods. “This enables us to focus on the health and safety of our team members while also delivering best-in-class service for our customers.”

Melanie Boulden, group president of prepared foods and chief growth officer at Tyson, added: “Bacon is a growing category driven by strong consumer demand at home and in restaurants. Our expanded production will allow us to lead this growth and continue driving innovation in the category.”

The site was strategically located to leverage Tyson’s existing pork supply chain, benefiting from proximity to raw materials and key inbound and outbound transportation routes. The company noted that the new facility “supports end-to-end profitability by utilising pork bellies provided primarily by Tyson Foods’ pork segment.”

Tyson has also partnered with Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College to provide technical training, including a dedicated robotics lab, to upskill employees and support the company’s adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies.

The Bowling Green plant represents one of Tyson’s largest investments in its prepared foods segment to date, underscoring the company’s ongoing commitment to expanding its value-added protein portfolio.