The construction of a Smucker’s plant in McCalla is proceeding as scheduled, the company announced this week.

The upcoming $1.1 billion facility is expected to produce create up to 800 jobs and is the largest capital investment by a company in Jefferson County.

“We are currently hiring for a variety of roles, including production, quality assurance, maintenance, logistics, engineering, electrical and management,” Director of Operations Nicole Newell said. “We expect a workforce of around 750-800 once we are fully staffed.”

She also projected when the facility will open.

“We are on schedule and expect to begin production in May 2024,” Noelle said.

One product from Smucker’s is increasingly in demand, Newell said, and the McCalla plant is expected to help grow that demand even more.

“The Uncrustables brand is one of the fastest growing in our company, and we have focused on increasing capacity to help us meet the incredible demand for the product,” she said. “The McCalla facility … will help us reach our stated goal of $1 billion in annual net sales for the brand.”

The project, announced in 2021, will be the company’s third plant in the country that solely produces Uncrustables.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.