Hormel to close down 1940s-era Jenny O plant in Willmar

Hormel will be closing its very first Jenny O plant, which opened in Willmar in the late 1940s. The 200 employees will be retained, but will move over to a newer facility in Willmar sometime by next spring. Hormel Foods had a record-setting quarter, helping the Austin, Minn.-based company to a $909 million annual profit on $11.4 billion in sales. Jennie-O turkey sales were up 12% to nearly $1.5 billion, despite the decline in whole bird sales from a pandemic-dampened 2020 Thanksgiving.

In a press release, Hormel CEO Jim Snee said “Turkey and the Jennie-O brand play an important role in our diversification and growth strategy. To further enhance the growth and profitability for this business, we are embarking on a series of actions to create a more efficient, innovative and demand-oriented turkey portfolio.”

Snee said “For the second consecutive quarter, we delivered the highest quarterly net sales in our company’s history. With higher consumer demand, increased prices and a rebound in restaurant and school cafeteria sales boosting the company’s brands.”