George’s Inc., a leading producer of poultry products and prepared foods, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ozark Mountain Poultry Inc. (OMP).

OMP produces antibiotic free and non-genetically modified organism (GMO) chicken products, servicing the retail and foodservice channels with its Forester Farmers Market brand. The company has facilities throughout Arkansas, employs more than 1,800 people and process more than 1.2 million chickens per week.

“I have known Gary George and the George family for 35 years,” OMP founder Ed Fryar said.  “He is a person for whom I have tremendous admiration and respect. I think the acquisition of OMP will equally benefit George’s and the team members of OMP because our cultures fit. Additionally, it will enhance our position in the marketplace.”

Charles George, co-chief executive of George’s, said the acquisition further diversifies George’s portfolio, allowing it to grow in the retail segment with a trusted brand.

“The ability to provide today’s consumer with affordable antibiotic free and non-GMO poultry products is very important to our overall strategy,” Carl George, co-chief executive of George’s, added.

Founded in the 1920s, George’s is a fourth-generation family-owned and -operated poultry and prepared foods company headquartered in Springdale, Ark. With more than 5,300 team members, vertically integrated poultry operations in Arkansas, Missouri and Virginia and prepared foods operations in Arkansas and Tennessee, George’s is the 11th-largest poultry producer in the U.S. George’s produced 22 million lb. of ready-to-cook chicken on a weekly basis in 2018.

Details of the transaction were not disclosed, but the companies expect the deal to close during the fourth quarter of 2018.