Gov. Wolf Joins PA Officials In Touring New Clemens Food Processing Facility In Hatfield

HATFIELD, PA — Gov. Tom Wolf joined executives with Clemens Food Group on Friday as he toured the company's new food processing facility in this Montgomery County community.

Wolf, alongside local state legislators, agriculture officials and members of the governor's Action Team, toured the construction site of the new Clemens Food Group facility in Hatfield, which is expected to keep 2,600 jobs in Montgomery County, something Wolf hailed as a win for Pennsylvania's financial health.

"That is great news for the workers, their families, the community and our state's economy," Wolf said in a statement. "My administration is pleased to support Clemens Food Group as they continue to invest in Pennsylvania."

Clemens Food Group is a sixth-generation family-owned business founded in Hatfield more than 125 years ago, according to the governor's office. The company says it will use the new facility being constructed to produce 80 million pounds of high-quality protein products each year, contributing to 320 million meals.

The company is reportedly investing more than $228 million into the construction project, which, when complete, is expected to help retain 2,634 positions currently at the business and eventually create an additional 87 new, full-time jobs.

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development had provided Clemens a funding proposal for a $215,400 workforce development grant to help the business train workers, and a $2.5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant, according to the governor's office.

"Clemens Food Group is committed to operating our businesses with strong values. That means being a responsible employer that builds a strong workforce, engaging and contributing in our communities, and producing safe, wholesome, high-quality pork products," Clemens CEO Craig Edsill said in a statement. "We are proud to be able to continue that tradition with our newest facility opening next year in Hatfield, PA and are grateful for Governor Wolf's continued support of agribusiness."

Wolf's office said that the expansion project at Clemens was coordinated by the Governor's Action Team, which is an experienced group of economic development professionals who report to the governor and work with businesses who are considering either relocating to, or expanding in, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, who attended the tour of the facility on Friday, said that the Clemens family has been supporting state agriculture and farm families for more than 125 years, and that this expansion project is allowing the business to "continue fueling the economy, supporting jobs, and feeding Pennsylvanians; it's an investment in a secure food supply for the future."

Local Montgomery County State Rep. Steve Malagari, D-53, welcomed Wolf to Hatfield during the tour, and said that the Clemens project is an example of how Pennsylvania government can invest in capital projects that provide economic development and job creation in the commonwealth.

"Clemens is not just a huge part of a community that is very important to me, but it is an industry that is absolutely crucial to our country," Malagari said in a statement. "Clemens Food Group is a major employer in Pennsylvania and our region, and it is also part of our state's critical infrastructure, processing and providing food. "As we invest in projects like here at Clemens Food Group, we truly invest in ourselves."

Montgomery County State Sen. Maria Collett, D-12, who also attended the event, said she was pleased to watch the Clemens expansion, and was excited about the prospect of more jobs coming to the region, in addition to the high-quality pork products that will be added to "tables across the nation and beyond."

"I'm glad to see the Commonwealth invest in a company that has invested so much into our local community," Collett said in a statement.

According to the governor's office, Clemens has also done its share of charity work by donating meat to several Feeding America food banks, and that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it partnered with Feeding America, the PA Pork Producers and the PA Pork Strategic Investment Program to provide more than $100,000 in pork products to food banks.

The company, Wolf's office said, also participated in the USDA Farmers to Families Food Boxes program.