New $8.5-Million Processing Plant by Cherokee Nation Aims to Boost Local Economy and Food Security
Known as the 1839 Cherokee Meat Co., the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Okla. has officially opened the doors on its nearly $8.5 million USDA- and state-certified meat processing plant.
“As the Cherokee people navigated through the pandemic, we learned valuable lessons about food security and food sovereignty,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. in a release. “By addressing the shortage of meat processing capacity with our own facility, we support local agriculture and locally sourced food all for the benefit of Cherokee citizens and the region’s economy.”
The goal of the meat company is to help grow economic development through agricultural programs, as well as address food security through sustainable and locally sourced meat for Cherokee citizens.
The 12,000 sq. ft. facility will be operated by the tribe’s business arm and is expected to grow in phases, says the release, with the plan to use surplus animals from the Cherokee Nation’s bison herd and eventually establishing a local farm-to-table operation featuring lean bison meat.
As part of the Nation’s COVID-19 Respond, Recover and Rebuild relief plan, $27 million has been spent to address food security of the Cherokee people, including the new processing facility, as well as five new food distribution centers and additional refrigerated trucks.
The name 1839 Cherokee Meat Co. pays tribute to the year Cherokee Nation became united by constitution.
