Simmons cookin’
by February 8, 1999 12:00 am 82 views
The new $15 million plant Simmons Foods Inc. opened in Van Buren late last year has proved so successful that the Siloam Springs-based poultry company is already expanding it.
A third cooking line is being added at a cost of $3.9 million, and it’s expected to be up and running later this month. It will mean another 140 jobs at the 62,000-SF plant. The plant makes cooked poultry products under the Simmons’ label and other names.
In conjunction with that plant’s opening and expansion, privately owned Simmons is test-marketing several new products made at Van Buren. The products are available in Northwest Arkansas only at the IGA store in Siloam Springs. The new products include chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs (for the children’s market) being sold under the name Dino Nuggets, and T-Rex Patties, a patty on a bun.
For the older crowd, there are wings in two flavors: barbecue and hot wings, both of which come with flavor packets that consumers are supposed to open and pour over the wings for a fresher taste. Simmons is packing Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Style Sauce, a sauce made by French’s.