JBS USA has acquired a facility that was previously owned and operated by Mountain States Rosen out of bankruptcy through an auction process, a company spokesperson confirmed to Feedstuffs. Mountain States Rosen, a lamb meat processor in Greeley, Colo., that controls a fifth of the U.S. lamb market, filed for bankruptcy in April and liquidated its assets, including the facility in Greeley, which the company had purchased from JBS in 2016.

JBS said the purchase is part of its continued commitment to invest in the city of Greeley.

“We successfully bid for the facility during a bankruptcy auction on July 16 and anticipate closing in the coming days. While we acquired the facility and certain assets, we did not acquire the business,” the JBS spokesperson told Feedstuffs.

The company intends to further invest in the facility and reopen as a value-added beef operation, which it said will create new jobs in the town.

“The acquisition presents an exciting opportunity to provide value-added and premium, retail-ready beef products to consumers in Colorado and across the United States,” the spokesperson said.

Mountain States Rosen cited financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the bankruptcy, according to the bankruptcy court documents.