Chomps plans a dedicated Missouri manufacturing facility

Missouri manufacturing plan

Chomps and Western Smokehouse Partners plan a 300,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Mexico, Missouri, scheduled to open in 2025. The location will be dedicated to Chomps products.

The project is expected to create approximately 250 initial full-time jobs employed by Western Smokehouse Partners. The partners also envisage potential future expansion.

Chomps

Chomps selected Mexico for its available building, which could be retrofitted to meet USDA certification requirements, local workforce and proximity to other WSP facilities. Chomps expects central road connections to support nationwide distribution.

The partners began working together in Greentop, Missouri, in 2016. Mexico will become their third location manufacturing Chomps products.

Operations leadership

Jason Dols joined Chomps as senior vice president of operations in March 2024. His appointment added an executive responsible for developing and implementing the company’s long-term operations and supply-chain strategies.

Dols’ responsibilities span the teams that coordinate purchasing, factory operations and delivery. His remit includes:

Planning and procurement;
Manufacturing and quality;
Logistics and continuous improvement.

Dols brought more than 22 years of experience across supply chain, manufacturing, finance and strategy. He previously spent 16 years at PepsiCo, including leadership roles involving Gatorade, Quaker Foods, Naked Juice and Tropicana.

Before joining Chomps, Dols was vice president of supply chain at Party City. Chomps was established in 2012 with an initial investment of $6,500 and subsequently expanded through retail and e-commerce channels.

Contract manufacturing background

Western Smokehouse Partners manufactures meat snacks for emerging and established brands and large retailers. Its business includes co-manufactured, private-label and branded products. WSP is a portfolio company of AUA Private Equity Partners.

In May 2024, WSP acquired substantially all the assets of Golden Valley Natural, which also operated as Hero Snacks. The business is based in Shelley, Idaho, and specializes in all-natural and organic jerky. Golden Valley had more than 50 years of history as a family-owned meat-snack business.