Brakebush Brothers Inc., based in Westfield, Wisconsin, plans a $60 million expansion at its Mocksville, North Carolina plant.
Brakebush has been family owned since 1925. The company provides a complete line of processed chicken with more than 200 products available to the food-service industry. Brakebush also has plants in Irving, Texas, and Wells, Minnesota.
Brakebush purchased the former House of Raeford plant in Mocksville in June 2018. The facility was damaged by fire in December 2017. Brakebush gutted the building after buying the plant and installed state-of-the art production equipment. The plant opened in October after more than a year of renovation, which included an expansion from 72,000 square feet to 130,000 feet.
The town of Mocksville was recently awarded a $2 million Community Development Block Grant to help fund infrastructure improvements. The grant will support public water and sewer upgrades for the Brakebush processing plant. The revival of the Mocksville chicken-processing plant includes a $60 million investment by Brakebush and the creation of up to 244 jobs. When fully operational, the plant is expected to employ about 300.
The plant currently employs 100 persons while work continues to add production lines and finish portions of the building. The initial production capacity will be 90 million pounds of chicken annually, which will increase as lines are added. The company is now hiring for 50 second shift production and quality assurance positions as well as maintenance and refrigeration technicians. More jobs will open in March 2020.
