Holly Poultry has opened an 80,000-square-foot processing and production facility in Hanover, Md., that will support the company’s growing grocery retail business and create 140 full-time jobs over the next four years. Gov. Wes Moore’s office announced the expansion on Sept. 15.
The family-owned company opened the facility at 1020 Airport 100 Way in Anne Arundel County. Holly Poultry, which is headquartered in Baltimore, will use the operation for poultry processing, packaging and order fulfillment.
The expansion gives Holly Poultry dedicated infrastructure for its retail business, including private-label production and its Easy Street and One Fine Chicken consumer brands. The company has historically served foodservice distributors, wholesalers and restaurants throughout the Mid-Atlantic.
“Holly has been building its business in Maryland for generations, and as we enter this next phase, it was important to us to continue building it here,” Holly Poultry CEO Zach Fine said. “We’re creating new jobs, investing in our people, and bringing the experience we’ve built serving foodservice customers to grocery through private-label programs and our consumer brands One Fine Chicken and Easy Street.”
Holly Poultry products are currently carried by retailers including Aldi, ShopRite, Giant Food, Harris Teeter and Safeway. The company said the additional capacity will allow it to support existing retail customers and expand into additional markets.
The company is eligible for up to $875,000 in state and local financial assistance for the project.
That support includes a $750,000 conditional loan through Advantage Maryland and a $50,000 grant from the Partnership for Workforce Quality program. Both programs are administered by the Maryland Department of Commerce.
Holly Poultry is also eligible for a $75,000 conditional loan from the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp.
“This investment creates new opportunities for our local workforce and supports the company’s continued growth throughout the Mid-Atlantic,” Maryland Commerce Secretary Harry Coker Jr. said.
Holly Poultry has spent more than three decades building its distribution and processing business. The Hanover operation marks a further push into supermarket retail, where the company supplies both retailer-controlled private brands and its own branded fresh-poultry products.
Easy Street offers pre-diced and seasoned fresh chicken in flavors including Korean BBQ, Street Taco, Peruvian, Shawarma and Chili Crisp. One Fine Chicken is positioned as an everyday fresh-chicken line. Both brands market products made from chicken raised without antibiotics.
Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said the expansion would support the county’s manufacturing economy and provide additional processing capacity for agricultural products.
The state announced the completed expansion Sept. 15. Office of Gov. Wes Moore