George’s Inc. to sell Campos Foods

Springdale-based George’s Inc. announced Wednesday (Oct. 26) it is selling Campos Foods, a fully cooked meat processing plant in Caryville, Tenn., to Gold Creek Foods for an undisclosed amount.

George’s acquired Campos Foods in November 2017 from Oklahoma-based Lopez Foods, and the deal was to expand George’s business to include turkey, pork and beef, intended to give George’s a more diversified protein portfolio of products.

George’s ran the Campos Foods fully-cooked plant that primarily serves food service until September of this year when the plant was shuttered. Company executives cited labor force constraints that were hindering margins.

George’s did not respond to media requests for comment on the pending sale to Gold Creek.

Gold Creek said it plans to create 218 new jobs in the Campos Foods’ Caryville plant as it reopens the facility and invests another $15 million to convert the operations to a poultry processing and cook plant expected to process 50 million pounds of fully-cooked chicken products per year.

“We already have been so impressed with the dedication and resiliency of the eastern Tennessee workforce on our frequent visits, as well as the continued recognition and acceptance of the Quick’N Eat brand in the market. We are excited about our expansion and investment in Campbell County, as well as Gold Creek Foods continuing the Quick’N Eat brand that was produced in the Caryville facility previously,” said Mark Sosebee, CEO of Gold Creek Foods.

Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Gainesville, Ga., Gold Creek Foods specializes in processing raw and fully cooked chicken products. With the addition of the Caryville plant, the company said it will employ more than 3,500 people across in Georgia and Tennessee. Hiring in Tennessee is underway, with production expected to reach full capacity by February 2023.