Archer, one of the fastest-growing meat snack brands in the U.S., announced plans to open a second manufacturing facility in Los Angeles.
Located in Vernon, the new facility will nearly double Archer’s overall manufacturing capacity and will be primarily focused on producing Archer’s lineup of meat sticks. This is meant to improve the company’s flexibility and speed to market as well as provide synergies for training and development with Archer’s existing facility located in San Bernardino, Calif. The Vernon plant will exclusively produce meat sticks while the San Bernardino plant will continue to produce both jerky and meat sticks.
Purpose-built for meat processing and previously operated by Farmer John for 90 years, the Vernon facility is nearly 140,000 sq ft and capable of both processing and packaging. It is slated to be fully operational in early September 2025.
“The explosive growth of our meat stick products made increasing our production capabilities essential, and doing this in Los Angeles was an intentional choice,” says Eugene Kang, Founder and CEO of Archer. “Our founding principle has always been that supply chain ownership is crucial for maximizing margins and ensuring quality control, as evidenced by our jerky business. This expansion represents our next strategic step to vertically integrate our fastest growing product line.”
The need for additional production capacity comes as Archer’s 90% year-over-year sales increase outpaced the category's 5.8% growth1. As consumer demand grows for clean-ingredient, protein-rich, and convenient snacks, Archer says it has positioned itself at the forefront of this expanding segment. The company says it has seen growth across its product portfolio, particularly in meat sticks where sales sales grew by 187.4%, according to the company.
Archer already employs over 150 Californians in its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in San Bernardino and expects to add more than 200 jobs at the Vernon facility, with initial hiring and onboarding to begin this summer.
1 SPINS, Total U.S., latest 24 weeks ending 12/19/24
2 SPINS, MULO & Natural, Latest 24 weeks ending 12/29/24
