Heartland Catfish has completed part-one of a two-part expansion that will allow for consolidation of processing operations and add processing and freezer capacity for frozen product inventory.

Housing all processing and storage under one roof will allow Heartland to enhance product quality and customer service while yielding operating efficiencies. The two projects are expected to bring 40 jobs to the company’s Itta Bena, Miss. headquarters.

The recently completed first phase of the project brings an additional 12,000 square-feet of freezing capacity to Heartland’s already industry-leading storage capabilities. Heartland Catfish has the largest freezing capacity in the U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish industry, with the ability to freeze all production every day. Phase two, expected to be completed in early 2020, is a new processing and packaging wing spanning 12,000 square-feet.

This expansion happens as there is an increased demand for U.S farm-raised catfish and a changing environment in the marketplace, where customers are more interested in where their food comes from and whether it is sustainably produced. This expansion will allow Heartland to improve processing efficiencies to better serve their customers.

Heartland looks forward to the opportunity to grow their business and continue to provide the highest U.S. farm-raised quality catfish to its customers with this expansion.