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Walmart has opened its first owned and operated case-ready beef facility in Olathe, Kansas.

The 300,000-square-foot plant will process and package beef sourced from Sustainable Beef, a Nebraska-based supplier in which Walmart invested in 2022. Packaged products will be distributed to Walmart stores across the Midwest.

The facility will create more than 600 jobs in the Olathe area. It is designed to improve supply chain efficiency, product consistency and traceability. It will produce case-ready beef cuts for direct shipment to Walmart distribution centres.

The opening is part of Walmart’s broader effort to develop a vertically integrated beef supply chain and support US manufacturing. The company has pledged to invest $350 billion in products made, grown or assembled in the United States by 2031.

John Laney, executive vice president for food at Walmart US, said: “The opening of our new facility in Olathe, Kansas, is centered on delivering more of what our customers want – affordable food and quality they can trust. This is the first case-ready facility fully owned and operated by Walmart, and that milestone ensures we’re able to bring more consistency, more transparency and more value to our customers.”