- Schwan’s frozen pizza factory in Salina, Kansas was expanded to 90,000㎡.
- The expansion supports the company’s Red Baron® pizza, the fastest growing pizza brand in the U.S., contributing to the growth of CJ CheilJedang’s U.S. food business.
CJ CheilJedang announced on May 21 that Schwan’s Company, its subsidiary in the U.S., completed the expansion of its pizza plant in Salina, Kansas, and starts full-scale operation.
The expansion project added 40,000㎡ to the Salina Factory and brought total space to nearly 90,000㎡, making it the world’s largest frozen pizza manufacturing facility. It is the size of approximately tweleve soccer fields and produces the company’s Red Baron® and Tony’s® pizza products.
The plant expansion in Salina is part of a larger project that will enable the facility to manufacture and distribute Schwan’s Company products more efficiently. An additional 13,000㎡ distribution center is currently under construction and will open in by 2025. This new facility will not only support distribution of Schwan’s frozen pizza, but also its other products, including the Bibigo® line of frozen Korean food.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on May 19 (local time) at the facility, attended by public officials from Kansas, including U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann, Kansas Lt. Gov. David Toland, and key executives from Schwan’s Company.
“This is a world class, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that enables us to significantly increase our capacity to produce our quality pizza products and continue to support the community’s economic development,” said Schwan’s Company Chief Executive Officer Dimitrios Smyrnios. “Red Baron is the fastest growing brand in frozen pizza and we’re well-positioned to meet consumers’ growing demand for their favorite pizza.”
CJ CheilJedang’s sales in its U.S. food business increased by 18% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year. Schwan’s Company made about KRW 2.2 trillion in sales in 2019 when it was acquired by CJ CheilJedang and exceeded KRW 3 trillion in annual sales last year. Its pizza brand Red Baron® achieved 19.4% market share in the first four months of 2023, narrowing the gap by only 1%p from its leading competitor.
“Schwan’s Company serves a crucial role in expanding our global food business and contributes greatly to the spread of K-food,” said an official from CJ CheilJedang, “With the expansion of the Salina factory, we will continue to build business capabilities to become the No. 1 food company in the U.S.”
