SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — One of South Korea’s largest food companies is building a production facility in Sioux Falls, the company announced Monday.
CJ CheilJedang, known as CJCJ, plans to set up an Asian food production facility that is expected to employ 600 people within five years. The food will be sold and distributed by CJ Foods and Schwan’s Company, the Minnesota-based frozen food distributor that was purchased by CJCJ in 2018.
Gov. Kristi Noem, has made attracting businesses to South Dakota a priority, especially as she avoided ordering business closures during the pandemic. She touted the announcement as an opportunity for job growth.
Noem had scheduled to make the announcement in-person on Monday alongside Dimitrios Smyrnios, the Executive Chairman of CJCJ Food, Americas and CEO of Schwan’s Company, but that news conference was canceled early Monday. Noem’s spokesman Ian Fury said that both their schedules had changed and the governor would speak on the new facility in her State of the State address on Tuesday.
Smyrnios thanked state and local officials in a statement.
The company is planning to expand as Asian food becomes more popular in the United States. It already operates food production facilities in California, Ohio, New York and New Jersey.
