Holly Poultry Inc. -- a rapidly growing, family-owned, Baltimore, Md.-based poultry processor and wholesale meat distributor serving customers from New York to Richmond, Va. -- has expanded its processing capacity with the completion of a 37,500 sq ft., state-of-the-art processing plant in West Baltimore, Md.

Holly Poultry currently produces about 15-20 truckloads of each week, with each truckload holding about 40,000 lb. of chicken. At full capacity, the new facility could produce up to 80 truckloads a week, or approximately 3.2 million lb. The expansion will also enable the company to hire 150 people over the next three to five years, doubling the size of its production staff.

“After years of planning, our vision for the company and its employees has become a reality,” Zach Fine, chief executive officer of Holly Poultry, said. “The opening of our new processing facility will enable us to quadruple our production capacity, explore new markets and accelerate growth throughout the mid-Atlantic. We will be better able to serve our customers and continue to support the city of Baltimore.”

Mike Fine, who owns Holly Poultry, said it was important for him to continue to build his operations in Baltimore. When he joined Holly Poultry in 1990, the company had 20 employees. By 2015, the number had grown to 175, and it now stands at 225 – including 25 who were hired this year in anticipation of the grand opening.

“It’s where we’ve grown and succeeded as a business,” Mike Fine said. “I want to help Baltimore city be successful and create job opportunities for its residents."

In addition to operating Holly Poultry, the company also runs a wholesale commodity business, State Street Poultry & Provisions LLC, whose operations will also undergo significant renovations in 2017, including an updated cooler, freezer and offices.

“The renovation doubles our capacity, provides additional space to expand our product lines and improves our buying power,” Zach Fine said. “By keeping our (U.S. Department of Agriculture) designation, we can process other proteins and offer more value to our current market.”