SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Within days of breaking ground on a $12 million bacon-slicing facility at its Patrick Cudahy plant in Wisconsin, plans by Smithfield Foods, Inc. to invest $9 million to expand its Curly’s Foods precooked barbecue meat plant were published in an April 3 report by the Sioux City Journal.

The project includes a 13,000-sq.-ft. addition to the south side of the existing building, located in Sioux City, Iowa. The story says the growing demand for the company’s precooked ribs and other barbecue products by the company’s foodservice customers warranted the expansion, which will reportedly add 30 jobs at the Yards Business Park-based plant. Approximately 630 people are currently employed at the plant. An 8,000-sq.-ft. portion of the current plant is also part of the project. This portion of the facility was built several years ago but was not fully utilized. The expansion will include installation of additional ovens, cooling equipment and processing space, estimated to cost approximately $3 million.

A tax incentive request is expected to be voted on by city council members on April 6.