Provisioner logo
Provisioner logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Provisioner logo
Provisioner logo
  • NEWS
    • Industry News
    • Supplier News
    • Case Studies
    • Recalls
    • Regulations
    • New Consumer Products
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Newsletters
    • Source Book
    • Sponsored Insights
    • Events
    • Webinars
    • Classifieds
    • White Papers
    • Provisioner Store
    • Market Research
  • MEAT PROCESSING
    • SUSTAINABILITY
    • Processing
    • Packaging
    • Ingredients
    • Formulation
    • Food Safety
    • Special Reports
    • Commentary
  • PROFILES
    • Processor Profiles
    • Processor of the Year
    • Top 100 Processors
  • MEDIA
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
  • DIRECTORY
  • MIHOF
  • INDEPENDENT PROCESSOR
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • JOIN!
Meat and Poultry Industry NewsMeat and Poultry Processing

Cal-Maine Foods strengthens prepared foods platform with targeted capacity expansions, leadership appointments

Johnathan Zoeller joines Cal-Maine Foods as chief financial officer, prepared foods.

By Industry News
Cal-Maine Foods logo
Cal-Maine Foods
December 4, 2025

Egg producer and distributor Cal-Maine Foods is strengthening its prepared foods platform through new leadership appointments and targeted prepared foods production capacity expansions.

Johnathan Zoeller has joined Cal-Maine Foods as chief financial officer, prepared foods, adding external experience with over 25 years as a senior financial and corporate accounting executive. He most recently served as vice president, treasurer and head of investor relations for Westlake Corp., a global diversified industrial company, where he led the global treasury operations, cash management, credit, collections, risk management and investor relations functions for the Fortune 500 company since 2018.

In addition, Dave Jordan has been promoted internally to president, Echo Lake Foods, previously serving as senior vice president, operations. Jordan is a seasoned food and beverage operations professional known for modernizing manufacturing networks, driving large-scale transformation and building high-performance, people-centered cultures. He brings deep expertise in enterprise operations, capital improvement execution and continuous improvement across complex, multisite organizations to the role.

“Talent is at the center of every chapter of sustained growth,” said Sherman Miller, president and chief executive officer of Cal-Maine Foods. “We are thrilled to welcome John and celebrate Dave’s well-deserved promotion. Their leadership, expertise, and dedication will be central to our prepared foods platform, and we are excited to have them as part of the Cal-Maine Foods’ management team as we continue to grow and serve our customers.”

In parallel, Cal-Maine Foods is launching a new $15 million network optimization and capacity-expansion project at Echo Lake Foods, expected to add 17 million pounds of annual scrambled egg production by mid-fiscal 2027.

The project consolidates all scrambled egg manufacturing into a single, modernized facility, creating a more efficient, centralized operation, and expands capacity with a new production line at the facility to support both near-term demand and long-term organic growth. By centralizing production, Echo Lake Foods eliminates redundancy across sites, streamlines workflows, and strengthens supply reliability. In addition, the upgraded equipment and automation are expected to improve yields and reduce labor requirements. Together, the company believes these improvements will enhance Echo Lake Foods’ operational efficiency, increase throughput and position the network to meet rising customer demand as part of Cal-Maine Foods’ broader long-term prepared foods strategy.

While this expansion initiative is underway, Echo Lake Foods has and will experience a temporary reduction in production volumes and higher costs, which began late in the second fiscal quarter of 2026 and are expected to continue through the remainder of fiscal 2026.

In addition, Cal-Maine Foods announced that its joint venture, Crepini Foods, will invest $7 million through fiscal 2028 to add 18 million pounds of additional production capacity. This growth will be achieved through a series of new equipment and line installations, which is expected to gradually increase capacity over the next two years and expand Crepini Foods’ volume by more than sevenfold.

In total, planned investments are expected to grow Cal-Maine’s prepared foods production capacity by more than 30 percent in the next 18-24 months.

“These prepared foods investments are a critical component of our multi-year plan to strengthen mid-cycle earnings, enhance portfolio resilience, and capture accelerating demand for high-protein, ready-to-eat, and convenience formats,” Mr. Miller said. “By investing in our facilities and building an exceptional leadership team, we believe we are creating a bigger, stronger, more capable prepared foods platform for the years ahead.”

Source: Cal-Maine Foods

KEYWORDS: appointment capacity expansion leadership

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • A cow eating grass and a chicken standing next to it in a field.

    The Top 100 Meat & Poultry Processors of 2026

    The 2026 Top 100 Meat & Poultry Processors highlights...
    Processor Profiles
    By: Fred Wilkinson
  • Breaded chicken nuggets on a white plate.

    Food safety programs prioritize prevention, verification, and traceability

    Across processing operations, food safety strategies are...
    Food Safety
    By: Sammy Bredar
  • An open double cheeseburger on a white plate, the top bun beside it, along with a side of seasoned fries.

    How convenience is driving summer grilling innovation in 2026

    Demand for high-quality, convenience-driven formats...
    Special Reports
    By: Sammy Bredar
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Manage My Account
  • eMagazine Subscriptions
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Connect with The National Provisioner

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The National Provisioner audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The National Provisioner or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  •  two individuals standing by a farm gate
    Sponsored byPIC

    When PRRS Hits Home: The Chinn Family’s Story and a Hopeful Future

  • A smiling man carrying a grocery basket is reaching down to pick up a package of meat in a grocery store.
    Sponsored byPIC

    The Green Light: New Data Shows 12-to-1 Support for Pork from PRRS-Resistant Pigs

  • Close up of a grocery cart full of groceries, a cropped image of a couple pushing the cart and a blurred background of the vegetable aisle.
    Sponsored byPIC

    New Market Research Finds Consumers in Eight Key Pork Markets Are Likely to Purchase Pork from Gene-Edited Pigs

Popular Stories

JBS USA logo

JBS USA closing pair of processing facilities

Kroger logo

Kroger to acquire Giant Eagle for $1.65B

Justin Ransom interview

USDA's Justin Ransom discusses the Small Processors Action Plan

2026 Top 100 Meat & Poultry Processors Report

Events

July 16, 2026

Strengthening Food Safety Plans for Modern Processing Operations

The live webinar will explore the latest technologies, emerging risks, and practical strategies shaping food safety programs across meat and poultry processing operations. Attendees will hear from industry experts on key challenges impacting processors today, along with approaches for strengthening and updating food safety plans across their facilities.

January 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Food Crime: An Introduction to Deviance in the Food Industry

Food Crime: An Introduction to Deviance in the Food Industry

See More Products
The National Provisioner 2026 Food Safety Report

Related Articles

  • Upside Foods logo

    Upside Foods makes strategic leadership appointments

    See More
  • Hormel Foods retail leaders

    Hormel Foods announces leadership appointments

    See More
  • Hormel Foods announces leadership appointments

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • Microbiology of Thermally Preserved Foods: Canning and Novel Physical Methods

See More Products

Related Directories

  • Refrigerated Foods Assn.

    The Refrigerated Foods Association (RFA) is an organization of manufacturers and suppliers of refrigerated prepared foods united by a common interest: to advance and safeguard the industry.
×

Stay ahead of the curve. Unlock a dose of cutting-edge insights.

Receive our premium content directly to your inbox.

SIGN-UP TODAY
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • Newsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2026. All Rights Reserved BNP Media, Inc. and BNP Media II, LLC.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing