EAGLE GROVE – Daybreak Foods Inc. has announced a new processing plant to be built near Eagle Grove.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday morning.

“As Daybreak Foods transitions some of its laying hens to cage-free, the need to process the eggs from these chickens has presented an opportunity to construct a processing plant that aligns with the needs of our customers,” Rick Roedl, the company’s capital projects manager, said in a written statement.

“The new facility will provide a separate biosecure food processing operation, giving both our company and customers more flexibility, efficiency, capability and food security,” he added. “Phase I of operations will begin by employing 10 to 18 talented team members with plans to expand into other processes in Phase II and III as customers’ needs grow.”

The search for a location for this plant began in early 2020.

“We looked at more than half a dozen locations within a 60 mile radius to land this new operation at a site that was beneficial to the city, the community as well as Daybreak Foods and our customers,” Roedl said. “Infrastructure, geography, available building sites and the strength of the community were all priority in the site selection decision.”

He said Eagle Grove city officials “wasted no time to not only tell us how they could help us, they proved it in a well-thought out and swift plan.”

Daybreak Foods Inc. founded in 1965, has 15 million egg-laying hens. Based in Lake Mills, Wisconsin, it has sites in Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio.