Mountaire Farms Pledges $50M Expansion for Selbyville Poultry Plant

Mountaire Farms, headquartered in Millsboro, Delaware, announced a $50 million commitment to upgrade its Selbyville poultry processing facility, targeting the rising consumer demand for antibiotic-free chicken products. As the fourth-largest chicken producer in the U.S., the family-owned company processes 67.5 million pounds of ready-to-cook chicken weekly across facilities in Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and Arkansas. The expansion enhances Sussex County's agribusiness economy, where Mountaire remains a major employer with deep roots dating back over a century.

The project aligns with Mountaire's history of facility improvements in the region, including a 2010 $34.5 million expansion in nearby Millsboro that created 31 jobs by December 2011 and boosted Sussex County employment to 3,600 at the time. That initiative, supported by a $787,500 grant from the Delaware Strategic Fund, recycled poultry byproducts like blood, feathers, and unused parts from Selbyville and Millsboro plants into marketable proteins for pet food and other industries. Selbyville's upgrade continues this pattern, focusing on efficiency to meet national trends in antibiotic-free production.

With over 7,000 employees companywide and a significant presence in Delaware's economy, Mountaire projects 2025 revenue growth to $1.5 billion, a 4% increase driven by expanded market share and consumer shifts toward healthier poultry options. Sussex County, home to Mountaire's core operations, benefits as the investment secures jobs and reinforces Delaware's position in the $50 billion U.S. poultry sector. Local leaders have long praised such developments for sustaining rural communities in southern Delaware.