No Meat Factory buys production facility in Stanwood

Mar 21, 2023

No Meat Factory, a producer of plant-based meat alternatives, plans to open its first U.S. production facility in Stanwood by the end of this year.

The Surrey, British Columbia-based manufacturer purchased a 196,000-square-foot facility in Stanwood from Twin City Foods for $19.5 million in mid-March, according to Snohomish County records. The price works out to approximately $100 per square foot.

The transaction was boosted by a $200,000 state economic development grant to Economic Alliance Snohomish County. The funds will be used to support site engineering, development costs and initial upgrades to the plant.

"The establishment of No Meat Factory in Stanwood represents a significant investment in our local economy and a testament to our region's skilled workforce," Garry Clark, Economic Alliance Snohomish County CEO and president, said in a news release. "We are proud to support this venture and to see the return of over 100 food processing jobs to our community."

No Meat Factory expects to employ up to 150 people at the Stanwood site. The building is designed for food production with freezer storage, dock-high and grade-level access, office space, lab and kitchen areas.

The company started in 2021 and runs a 30,000-square-foot plant in Surrey, B.C., that it opened in 2022 to accommodate growing demand.

No Meat Factory raised a $42 million Series B round in January and it plans to use the capital for the redevelopment of the Stanwood facility. The plant will allow the company to expand into sausages, hot dogs and deli meat alternatives.

The building was constructed in 1997 and occupied by Twin City until 2017 when the company shuttered the building. Twin City remains in its headquarters building, which is next door to the plant at 10120 269th Place NW. Twin City Foods has been in Stanwood since the 1940s. It will remain in Stanwood and still has a total of four processing plants around Washington and Michigan.

"Twin City Foods kept the food processing plant well-maintained and highly functional for over 25 years," Noah Roehl, who is part of the CBRE team that represented both the buyer and seller, said in a statement. "Its proximity to Everett and major highways aligned well with No Meat Factory's needs and will help them meet the growing demand for their products in the U.S."

The CBRE broker team also included Steven Brunette, Andrew Stark, Andrew Hitchcock and Harry Ghag.

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