Tyson Foods divests jerky business, shutters California plant

Springdale-based Tyson Foods said it has sold the Golden Island Jerky Co. business for an undisclosed amount to Wisconsin-based Jack Link’s Beef Jerky. This divestiture also meant the closure of Tyson’s manufacturing facility located in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., eliminating 371 jobs per the WARN notification site.

While the plant closed on Dec. 13, employees are being paid through Feb. 10, according to local media reports in California.

“The decision to sell the business was a very difficult one. It’s important to know it was based on a combination of factors including our ability to generate profitable growth in the business and our need to focus on, and invest in, strategic growth priorities where we are competitively advantaged,” said Worth Sparkman, a corporate spokesman for Tyson Foods.

Sparkman told Talk Business & Politics the manufacturing facility was leased and the company will exit per its agreement with the plant owner. He declined to provide any financial details of this divestiture and plant closure.

Golden Island Jerky made Asian-flavored meat jerky at that plant for more than two decades.

Jack Link’s gave the following statement to Talk Business & Politics:

“As the category leader, we feel that it’s our job to make the category more relevant to more people. Jack Link’s offers more than 300 premium protein snacks in a variety of flavors, proteins, sizes, price points and shopping locations, appealing to nearly every consumer occasion. This acquisition allows us to expand our presence and reach consumers in new ways.”