Rock River Food and Beverage Solutions Breathes New Life into Idle Building

Jefferson, Wis., November 20, 2019  – An idle building in Jefferson will soon hum with activity once again. The former Tyson Foods plant in Jefferson, shuttered since mid-2016 when the company announced a shutdown, is now home to Rock River Food and Beverage Solutions LLC.

Rock River Food and Beverage Solutions purchased the building at One Rock River Road. The company’s initial start-up operation will include a cold storage, freezer and dry storage facility. Targeted for the second quarter of 2020, the company will be installing a cheese converting production line that includes cutting, wrapping and packaging cheese.

The company anticipates hiring about 40 employees to start, and an initial investment of approximately $9 million in equipment.

“Rock River Food and Beverage Solutions is a great addition to our thriving business community here in Jefferson,” noted City of Jefferson Mayor Dale Oppermann. “We’re thrilled that they’ve chosen to invest here.”

Thrive Economic Development (ThriveED) president Vicki Pratt, CEcD, began working with Rock River Food and Beverage Solution principals in May of 2017, introducing them to decision makers and helping them work through barriers leading up to the purchase of the building.

It has been a great experience working with Vicki and her staff at Thrive,” noted Bill Jaehnert, Vice President and General Manager of Rock River Food and Beverage Solution. “We have found them to be very helpful and welcomed us with open arms.”

“Vicki has been a great asset to Rock River and has been our go-to resource,” he added.

“As a location, Jefferson County is hard to beat for food and beverage companies,” noted Pratt. “We offer ready access to their supply chain and distribution network, not to mention a documented, available workforce.”

Jaehnert has a passion for the dairy industry and has owned other dairy-related businesses. How much does Jaehnert love the dairy industry? His personalized license plates read: CHEESE. That says it all.

About Thrive Economic Development

Thrive Economic Development is a non-profit 501(c)3 public-private organization created to promote the economic competitiveness of the Jefferson and Dodge County region by providing professional economic development services for the purpose of retaining, expanding and attracting capital investments and driver industry jobs to our communities. It was formed in mid-2016 and engages the private sector in economic development activities.