BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The parent company of Smucker’s announced plans Thursday to spend $1.1 billion on a factory and warehouse near Birmingham that will produce frozen sandwiches.
The Ohio-based J.M. Smucker Co. said the plant, to be constructed in the McCalla area of Jefferson County, will create 750 jobs. Construction is expected to begin by January with production set to start in 2025.
The factory will make Uncrustables, frozen sandwiches that can be thawed and eaten, which chief executive Mark Smucker said is one of the company’s leading products. The brand has about $500 million in annual net sales, the company said.
The head of the regional chamber of commerce said the announcement was one of the largest in recent years in Jefferson County.
“It is a strategic move for Smucker to leverage Birmingham’s strong distribution and logistics network, central location in the Southeast and a shovel-ready site to seize an opportunity for one of its fastest-growing brands,” said Ron Kitchens, chief executive of the Birmingham Business Alliance, which worked with the state to recruit the company.