Innovative Venture Set to Boost Regional and National Economies
AlaTrade, a leading poultry processor with facilities in Albertville, Boaz, and Phenix City, Alabama, is excited to announce the launch of its newly engineered Chicken Paw Heat-Treating Project at the Phenix City plant. Official production is set to begin on September 2, 2024. This development is expected to drive company growth and deliver substantial benefits to both the regional and national economies.
Strategic Investment to Tap into Growing International Markets
Since May 3, 2024, AlaTrade has invested approximately $2.8 million in time, resources, and capital to establish this project. The goal? To tap into the burgeoning international market for chicken paws, particularly in China. This strategic initiative allows AlaTrade to leverage the U.S. poultry industry’s capacity to meet China’s rising demand, converting this opportunity into a significant financial benefit.
The Phenix City facility has been equipped with state-of-the-art technology designed to meet rigorous USDA guidelines and international food safety standards. These upgrades will allow the facility to thermally treat chicken paws to a level suitable for export, ensuring compliance with Chinese regulations and expanding market access for U.S. poultry products.
The launch of the Chicken Paw Heat-Treating project at the Phenix City plant is a joint effort between AlaTrade, Sure Good Foods, and Spice Lady. After AlaTrade thermally treats the chicken paws, Sure Good Foods will provide expertise in international food trade to ensure all safety standards are met. Spice Lady will handle the sale of the finished product in China.
Boosting Local and State Economies
“This paw heat-treating line provides an additional anchor for our largest facility,” said Josh Whitley, AlaTrade President. “We are in a period of change and growth in Phenix City and thrilled to be adding this process and partnering with Sure Good Foods to do it.”
The project also brings substantial economic benefits to the local community and the broader Alabama poultry industry. Whitley expressed gratitude to Shaun Culligan, Phenix City Economic Development Manager, for quickly advocating for assistance through a tax abatement to help make this project happen.
Enhancing the Alabama Poultry Industry and Supporting Economic Growth
This project highlights the critical role that AlaTrade plays in the Alabama poultry industry. “Poultry integrators from the surrounding area will be bulk packing paws for shipment to AlaTrade’s Phenix City facility for heat treating,” explained Whitley. “Upon treatment, the paws will be packed for export and shipped to a local cold storage for blast freezing before being shipped by container to China.”
AlaTrade Sales Representative Duane Rhodes added, “By processing chicken paws for international markets, we’re not only enhancing our own operations but also supporting multiple facets of the local economy, from raw material suppliers to transportation and packaging services.”
The entire process is expected to handle an estimated volume of more than 360,000 pounds weekly, or over 20 million pounds of finished product per year. In addition to boosting the Alabama poultry industry directly, this venture has created approximately 28 new jobs at the Phenix City plant.
In a testament to AlaTrade’s ingenuity to think outside the box, this new process signifies the company’s commitment to invest and grow in ways that provide services to solve customer needs and meet market demands. As production ramps up, the Phenix City plant will continue to play a crucial role in strengthening AlaTrade’s position in the global market and contributing to the economic vitality of Alabama.
About AlaTrade
AlaTrade is a company working within the poultry industry to provide services for its customers who choose to outsource a part of their process. The relationship can be as simple as a fee-for-service (toll processing) or more complex, including co-packing of products for direct distribution. AlaTrade plants have approvals from many national account foodservice companies to produce products for their restaurants. All plants are BRC certified (quality systems), AMS certified (USDA Grading), and have active USDA Process Verification Programs in place. For more information, visit www.alatrade.com or call 256.505.4500.
About Sure Good Foods
Sure Good Foods, operating since 2000 and renamed from Wilkinson Foods International in 2017, specializes in trading food products across the globe. They manage over 1,100 customers worldwide, with 55+ traders handling over 1,022 million pounds of pork, poultry, beef, seafood, fruit, vegetables, and juice concentrates across more than 50 countries each year.
