BELLE FOURCHE, S.D. (AP) — A California company specializing in plant direct sourcing for commodity based consumer foods plans to build one of the largest ramen producing facilities in the country in a small Black Hills community.
Albany Farms CEO Bill Saller says the complex in Belle Fourche will include a flour mill, production factories and packaging areas that would produce more than 100 million packages of ramen each year and eventually employ up to 900 people.
The company manufactures its products overseas but decided it needed to switch gears once the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Saller says importing food became problematic because of transportation issues.
He says the price for their shipping containers has increased an average of $18,000 per container, doubling import costs.
