Cherokee, IA (NorthwestIowaNow.com) –In early October, Oklahoma-based Lopez Dorada Foods announced Phase One of their renovation plan for the Cherokee. Iowa plant. The 45-million-dollar investment sets up Phase Two, which includes expansion and more jobs according to John Lopez, Vice President of Strategy, Communication, and Government Affairs.

 

Lopez Foods took over the former Tyson / Wilson Foods facility in Cherokee in 2020, just before the pandemic hit and at that, point plans were already in place to renovate part of the building.

 

Since then, they have reconsidered their plan and have strategically set the Cherokee plant up for Phase Two, which is when the expansion an additional 100+ jobs will start.

 

The Cherokee plant was built in 1965 by Wilson Foods.  In 2001, Tyson Foods acquired the Cherokee property and then announced the closing in 2014. The Iowa Food Group had a brief stint in ownership after that, followed by the Lopez Dorada Foods acquisition in 2020.

As one of the nation’s leading, protein processing, companies Lopez Dorada Food supplies beef, pork, and poultry products to some of the largest global restaurant chains and retailors, including McDonald’s.