Davie County Back in the Chicken Business

The Davie County/Mocksville, North Carolina area has been dealt several economic blows the last few years, most recently with the closure of the Townsends Poultry Processing facilities both in Mocksville and Siler City.  North Carolina’s House of Raeford has purchased the former Townsends facility in Mocksville, and has put it back into operation.  Terry Bralley, president of the Davie County Economic Development Commission says they are pleased that House of Raeford chose them:

“This building has been vacant for a few years so to find another operator to come in there and take over the facility, we are very blessed to have them come in. I think they found value in the equipment here and their decision to renovate and bring it back it is great news for our area.”

While still a net loss of jobs in the industry in that area, Bralley says they are hopeful that House of Raeford will consider the area again when it’s time to expand:

“We couldn’t be more pleased because they are a NC owned company and they will grow. We have potential here and there is an upside.”

While it’s unfortunate that other bankrupt facilities in central North Carolina lost out, Bralley explains it was ultimately the equipment in the facility:

“We were blessed to have one of the more marketable assets in our facility so that anybody could buy it and put it back in operation. The equipment here is probably what saved the day.”

Bralley says unemployment in the Mocksville area was a whopping 13.1% just three years ago, and the latest unemployment figure is 5.1%.

North Carolina Department of Agriculture says that while many of the producers that were forced out of business with the closure of Townsends may not be back in business with the re-opening of this plant, those that have stayed in production will have a more solid future.

*Official Press Release*

House of Raeford Farms Expands Cooked Chicken Operations

House of Raeford Farms, based in Rose Hill, NC, announced the opening of a 64,000 sq. ft. further processing cook plant in Mocksville, NC.  The facility will produce fully-cooked chicken products including grill-marked fajita strips and filets; whole muscle and formed chicken tenders, filets, wings, nuggets and patties; and, fully-cooked chicken sausage and burgers.   In a related move, the company also acquired the Speedy Bird™ trademark with the intention of launching many of these items under this popular brand.

In announcing the acquisition, Bob Johnson, President and CEO, indicated that this action supports the company’s strategy announced last year to expand its cooked chicken product lines in conjunction with an increase in chicken production volumes.  “Combined with production capabilities at our cook plants in Raeford, NC and Hemingway, SC, we are now in a position to offer our retail, foodservice, and co-pack customers an even wider variety of further processed chicken and turkey products at competitive prices and increased supply,” said Johnson.

The Mocksville plant began operations in April and plans to grow to over 200 associates during the next several years.  The facility, which has been idle for the past two years, has undergone refurbishing of the building, equipment, and grounds.  According to Chris Murray, the company’s environmental manager, this includes a revamping of the wastewater and refrigeration systems to provide an environmentally sound and safe operation.

Johnson also emphasized, “Just as our company does in all of our locations, we look forward to becoming an integral part of the Mocksville and Davie County community, both as an employer as well as a good corporate citizen”.

To learn more about our new line of cooked chicken products contact Michael Teachey, V.P., Cooked Product Sales at 910-289-6919 or the Mocksville Plant at 336-751-4752.

About House of Raeford Farms

House of Raeford Farms, Inc. is one of the nation’s top ten largest chicken processors, providing ready-to-cook chicken and further processed chicken and turkey products to the foodservice, retail, and export markets.  The company is family-owned and operated and based out of Rose Hill, North Carolina with additional facilities in Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina.  The organization is committed to employing the best people, maintaining and operating state-of-the-art facilities, producing the highest quality products, and providing the utmost in customer service and satisfaction.  For more information visit www.houseofraeford.com.