Archer to open second manufacturing plant in Los Angeles

Meat snack brand Archer will open a second manufacturing facility in Los Angeles, a major expansion for the company intended to fuel continued growth and create local jobs. Located in Vernon, the dedicated facility positions the company to scale rapidly amid surging demand.

“The explosive growth of our meat stick products made increasing our production capabilities essential, and doing this in Los Angeles was an intentional choice,” said Eugene Kang, founder and CEO of Archer. “Our founding principle has always been that supply chain ownership is crucial for maximizing margins and ensuring quality control, as evidenced by our jerky business. This expansion represents our next strategic step to vertically integrate our fastest-growing product line.”

According to the company, the need for additional production capacity comes as Archer’s 90% year-over-year sales increase outpaced the category's 5.8% growth.¹ As consumer demand grows for clean-ingredient, protein-rich and convenient snacks, Archer has seen strong performance across its product portfolio, particularly in meat sticks. Archer's meat stick sales grew by 187.4%, making the company one of the primary drivers of the overall meat stick category's growth.²

The new facility will nearly double Archer’s overall manufacturing capacity and will be primarily focused on producing Archer’s lineup of meat sticks. The Vernon plant will exclusively produce meat sticks while the existing San Bernardino, Calif.-based plant will continue to produce both jerky and meat sticks.

Purpose-built for meat processing and previously operated by Farmer John for 90 years, the Vernon facility is nearly 140,000 ft² and capable of both processing and packaging. It is slated to be fully operational in early September 2025.

1. SPINS, Total U.S., latest 24 weeks ending 12/19/24

2. SPINS, MULO & Natural, Latest 24 weeks ending 12/29/24