Meat company to add facility in Pottsville

POTTSVILLE — The Arkansas Valley Alliance for Economic Development welcomes the Cypress Valley Meat Co. to Pottsville. The company is expected to bring approximately 20 to 25 jobs to the city with a first-year payroll of $300,000. The facility will open in August on U.S. 64 and will make an $800,000 investment in Pope County.

“The city of Pottsville is thrilled to have Cypress Valley Meat Co.,” Pottsville Mayor Jerry Williams said. “This is such a wonderful opportunity for the growth of Pottsville. This is a group undertaking, and we’d like to thank the alliance for its help with putting this plant in Pottsville. We look forward as this company grows and to the influence Cypress Valley will add to our economy. “

Cypress Valley Meat Co. will be the only U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected processing facility within a 65-mile radius. The company has three other facilities in Vilonia, Romance and Hot Springs. The Vilonia facility opened in 2010 to process wild game, and since then, the company has begun processing beef, pork, lamb, goat, bison, and elk for customers such as the Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative, Whole Foods Market, Ben E. Keith and Pesce Authentic Italian Sausage. Many of the large accounts will be processed at the Pottsville facility, but Cypress Valley Meat Co. will target all custom processing.

The Arkansas Valley Alliance for Economic Development is a public and private partnership formed to promote the economic development and growth of the River Valley area. The alliance’s work is divided into two major areas: supporting existing industrial growth in investment and job creation; and attracting new industries that will create jobs and make new capital investments.