The company said the expansion will allow it to move from bulk-pack ice products to retail-ready products and enable it to significantly increase the amount of products needed to meet retail demands.

"Our Delaware facility was our first choice for this expansion because Allen Family Foods wanted to add this significant number of new jobs to Delaware," said Charles C. Allen, III, Allen Family Foods president and CEO.

A strategic fund grant was recommended for approval for the company, which will go toward construction costs.

The expansion represents a $20 million capital investment by Allen Family Foods. Local contractors will do most of the construction for the project.  

"Allen Family Foods is a great family business and a success story for Delaware," said Delaware Economic Development Office Director Judy McKinney-Cherry. "This investment creates a state-of-the-art facility that ensures Allen Family Foods remains competitive, thus keeping our poultry industry thriving."

Allen Family Foods began as a small hatchery in 1919. Today, the family business has evolved into one of Delaware’s largest employers.

Headquartered at the site of the Allen homestead in Seaford, the company now employs approximately 2,400 people at the several locations in Delaware, Maryland and North Carolina. And, the company exports its product to more than 20 countries around the world. The Harbeson plant currently has 771 employees.

"The growth of businesses like Allen Family Foods not only boosts our state's economy, but also helps consumers find the products they need close to home," Gov. Ruth Ann Minner said. "This expansion is tremendous news for Sussex County and I'm sure Allen Family Foods will have no trouble filling these 175 new jobs."