J.M. Smucker to build R&D center for Uncrustables

The J.M. Smucker Co. will build a new 29,000–square-foot research and development facility to test both product innovation concepts and new manufacturing productivity efforts.

The facility, which will mainly be dedicated to supporting Smucker’s popular Uncrustables brand, is slated to open in fall 2023 on the campus of its existing headquarters in Orville, Ohio, according to a company statement. It is expected to create 35 new jobs and bring an associated payroll of $2 million.

The Uncrustables brand has seen consistent growth in the recent past, with the company envisioning it becoming a $1 billion brand in the next five years. 

The company makes approximately 3 million of its frozen crustless sandwiches a day, and annual revenue from the brand is more than $500 million a year, according to Cleveland.com. In the most recent quarter, Smucker sold $168 million worth of Uncrustables — 21% more than a year before.

Smucker has been expanding both its Uncrustables products and manufacturing. This fall, the CPG launched bite-sized Uncured Ham & Cheddar and Turkey & Colby Jack sandwich pockets, which target the school lunchbox market. They’re designed to go from the freezer to the lunchbox in the morning, and then be completely thawed by lunchtime.

The company recently opened a 240,000-square-foot expansion to its Longmont, Colorado, Uncrustables plant. Smucker also is working on a $1.1 billion manufacturing facility and distribution center for Uncrustables in McCalla, Alabama. It’s slated to begin operations in 2025.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and JobsOhio, the state’s private economic development corporation, jointly announced Smucker will be receiving funds from the state in conjunction with the new R&D center development. It will receive up to $1 million as a JobsOhio Research and Development Center Grant and up to $1.5 million from the Ohio Department of Development’s Research and Development Investment Loan Program.