Award-Winning Expansion to Increase Food Supply.

For its excellence in design, food safety, employee welfare, and production efficiency, Food Engineering awarded Clemens Hatfield the 2023 Plant of the Year. The honors continue what is becoming the welcome trend of Gray and Clemens Food Group partnering on award-winning projects.

Food Engineering judges noted that a key to Clemens’ win was the facility’s uncompromising design, which increases worker comfort as well as production—two important elements that aren’t always seen as directly related. Still more impressive is that the expansion project improves these elements while also exceeding government standards for hygienic design, food safety, and employee welfare.

“When we think about food safety, that’s typically the number one thing on our minds and our customers’ minds,” says Brad Clemens, president of Clemens Food Group. “[The plant] is designed with food safety in mind, first and foremost.” Given Gray’s commitment to safety and its strong relationship with the customer, Clemens remarked that it was an easy decision to trust Gray with the project’s success.

“There was a strong bias to go with Gray because of our great experience working with them on the Coldwater project,” he says. “With a project of this scope, you do have to value relationships. They value relationships, we value relationships. And that’s one of the things that’s definitely made this work.”

Clemens Hatfield North began production in July 2022 and has already played an integral role in expanding the company’s market share for products such as bacon, ham, and sausage.

“This business is a pennies business,” says Clemens, “so you have to build for scale. You have to build for the ability to do things efficiently and well—and that’s what this facility is built for.”