Smithfield Buys Nashville Dry Sausage Plant
Smithfield Foods has completed its purchase of a Nashville, Tennessee dry sausage facility from Cargill.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Agriculture
Smithfield Foods completed its purchase of a dry sausage production facility in Nashville, Tennessee, from Cargill. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Why it matters
The Nashville plant has a production capacity of 50 million pounds per year and will support Smithfield's dry sausage brands Margherita, Carando and Armour. The deal fuels the company's strategy of continued growth in value-added packaged meats.
The Nashville facility has an annual dry sausage production capacity of 50 million pounds. The sale price and other financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and no comparison to Smithfield's existing plant capacity was provided.
The players
Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a major American meat processor and packaged meats company that is expanding its value-added product lines.
Cargill
Cargill is a large privately held agricultural and food company that was the seller of the Nashville dry sausage facility.
The details
Smithfield completed the purchase of the Nashville facility from Cargill and made formal employment offers to all Nashville facility employees for the same positions they previously held. The offers include comprehensive medical coverage and a free-tuition program.
Timeline
Article on the completed Nashville facility purchase was published November 3, 2026.
Market Landscape
The acquisition extends Smithfield's strategy of growth in value-added packaged meats into the dry sausage category, where it already sells the Margherita, Carando and Armour brands. The move positions the company to expand its share of processed meat sales against rival packaged meat producers.
For Nashville-area workers, the offers preserve existing positions under Smithfield with medical coverage and a free-tuition program. Consumers may see Margherita, Carando and Armour dry sausage products continue to be produced locally at the Nashville plant.
The takeaway
The transfer keeps Nashville dry sausage production and jobs in place under new ownership, a detail worth watching as Smithfield grows its packaged meats business.
Further reading
Explore more Agriculture coverage for context on the meat processing sector.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Feedstuffs.
