Walmart has officially opened its first owned and operated case-ready beef facility, further advancing its plan to build a vertically integrated supply chain for fresh meat.
The 300,000-square-foot facility opened on June 27 in Olathe, Kansas, and will process fresh Angus beef into case-ready cuts that are packaged for retail and shipped to Walmart distribution centers serving the Midwest region.
It’s the latest step in Walmart’s long-term effort to create a proprietary, end-to-end Angus beef supply chain, which began in 2019.
The retailer introduced its McClaren Farms beef line in 2021 and made an equity investment in Sustainable Beef, a rancher-owned operation in Nebraska, in 2022.
“This is the first case-ready facility fully owned and operated by Walmart, and that milestone ensures we’re able to bring more consistency, more transparency and more value to our customers,” said John Laney, executive VP, food, Walmart US.
The Kansas facility marks Walmart’s latest move to internalise food production. It already operates a milk processing plant in Indiana, is building new dairy plants in Georgia and Texas, and sources leafy greens from vertical farming company Plenty following a 2022 investment.
These investments contribute to Walmart’s broader commitment to spend $350 billion on U.S.-made products by 2031.
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