LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — An old Lexington favorite is expanding its operation, as Critchfield Meats officially opened a new processing and distribution plant on Wednesday morning.
“It’s so meaningful to have outlets and opportunities for our producers to get their products into the marketplace and celebrate what we do on a local level,” Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner, Jonathan Shell said.
The business is well-known in town for its retail market on Southland Drive. This is an expanded part of the wholesale side of the business.
“Most people don’t know we have a wholesale business. Since we moved in, the first week of June, we've hired 8 new employees. so, we're continuing to grow,” said Critchfield President, Mark Critchfield.
They took over the space once occupied by God’s Pantry, which moved to their new location earlier this year. Lt. Governor, Jacqueline Coleman and Mayor Linda Gorton were also here on site for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
While the plant will be providing a boost economically in several different areas, it won’t do much to curtail the rising cost of beef. That issue runs much deeper than just having a bigger, better place to process it all.
“It's not the same equation. What's happening is we have herd levels as low as they've been since the 1940s and the population is eight times larger," Critchfield explained.
What it will do is allow the Critchfield family to hire more employees and to process and distribute their products more effectively.
“We’re in five states; everything from fast food to casual dining, to white tablecloth, to universities,” Critchfield said.
