CHICAGO — Chomps has unveiled plans to open a 300,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Mexico, Mo., in 2025. Chomps said the facility and its next phase of growth is part of a strategic partnership with Western Smokehouse Partners.

The partnership between Chomps and Western Smokehouse Partners, a subsidiary of AUA Private Equity Partners LLC, began in 2016, when the companies opened a joint facility in Greentop, Mo.

Chomps also has manufacturing facilities in Idaho, Minnesota, Nebraska and Virginia. Its partnership facilities with Western Smokehouse Partners are located in Greentop and Idaho, according to the company.

The Mexico location, one of the company’s largest, will be the first facility dedicated to solely producing Chomp’s products, according to Chomps.

"We are excited to bring our operations to Mexico, Mo., and contribute to the local economy,” said Matt Bormann, chief executive officer of Western Smokehouse Partners. “This expansion is a testament to our dedication to meeting the growing demand for better-for-you meat snacks and our confidence in the workforce and community of Mexico. The city’s strategic location makes it an ideal place for us to grow."

The family-owned company was founded in 2012 by Pete Malonado and Rashid Ali to offer on-the-go protein snacks in the form of meat sticks.

The company’s product line offers beef, turkey, venison and chomplings sticks. Its meat sticks are free-from hormones, antibiotics and added sugar.

“This new manufacturing facility is a significant milestone for Chomps as it will allow us to scale our production to meet the surging demand for our products,” Maldonado said. “Our ongoing partnership with Western Smokehouse Partners has been key to our growth and we look forward to deepening this relationship with a facility that will be custom-built to meet our specific needs.”

In January 2022, Chomps secured an $80 million minority investment from private equity firm Stride Consumer Partners. This investment was Chomps’ first outside private equity capital raised by the company.

In March 2024, Chomps was listed on the consultancy Brain & Co.’s food and beverage “insurgent brands” to watch this year among Chobani Inc., Impossible Foods and Kodiak. A few newcomers included Barebells, Bobo’s, Carbone and Legendary Foods.

MEAT+POUTLRY profiled some other recent expansions by Western Smokehouse Partners in the August issue.