Royal Oak Enterprises, the privately held maker of Royal Oak brand charcoal, is expanding their Salem, MO charcoal factory to be one of the largest in the world. Chief Operating Officer, Randy Beech told the Salem News that the expansion to the over half a century old factory will increase production by at least 50%. The new facility will use new technology, such as high efficiency dust collection, that will expand the skillset of the more than 150 workers.
Beech shared a statement with the Salem News from Chief Executive Office, Jim Bennet, “We at Royal Oak are extremely excited about the state of the art charcoal briquet facility we are building in Salem. The new facility represents the largest investment in our company’s history. We are extremely proud to be a part of the Salem community. We are also very grateful for all the dedication and hard work of our team members across our network of facilities and especially thankful for our Salem team members who are making this project a reality.”
Royal Oak hopes that construction will be completed by September and the facility will be operational by the end of the year. The new facility will help keep pace with the fast growing, outdoor cooking industry. Grill fuel companies are seizing the market expansion opportunity with Pit Boss Grills parent Dansons recently building the biggest wood pellet mill in the country and Camp Chef parent Vista Outdoor acquiring a pellet manufacturer.