Holly Poultry has opened an 80,000-square-foot production facility in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, dedicated entirely to retail operations—a significant infrastructure bet on the company's expanding branded and private-label fresh poultry business.
The plant is designed to serve the company's two consumer brands, Easy Street and One Fine Chicken, alongside a growing roster of private-label retail partners. The investment adds capacity to respond faster to existing customers, pursue new retail distribution, and accelerate product development across both branded and white-label lines.
Retail Velocity
Easy Street, the brand driving much of the expansion, sells No Antibiotics Ever fresh chicken thighs that arrive pre-diced and dry-seasoned in flavors such as Korean BBQ, Street Taco, Peruvian, Shawarma, and Chili Crisp—moving from refrigerator to plate in roughly seven minutes. The convenience-forward positioning has resonated at shelf: at top-performing retail accounts, Easy Street is averaging more than 30 units per store per week with a three- to four-flavor set. The brand is currently stocked at Giant Food, The Giant Company, Harris Teeter, ShopRite, Shaw's, and Hannaford.
One Fine Chicken targets a different shopper—value-conscious buyers who still want No Antibiotics Ever product—by pricing below traditional national brands in the everyday poultry aisle. Together, the two brands give Holly Poultry distinct entry points across the fresh chicken case, a category where operators and retailers alike are watching fresh protein innovation closely.
Why Operators Should Care
For foodservice and retail buyers, the new facility signals that Holly Poultry is positioning itself as a credible, scaled retail supplier—not simply a foodservice manufacturer dabbling in consumer products. "This facility is a major investment in that opportunity," said Zach Fine, CEO of Holly Poultry. "It gives us the capacity to serve the customers choosing our products today while creating room to expand into new retailers, build new private-label partnerships and keep pushing what fresh poultry can be."
The private-label angle is particularly relevant for grocery and foodservice supply chain professionals. Holly Poultry's expanding co-manufacturing capabilities mean retailers seeking differentiated, antibiotic-free fresh poultry under their own brands now have a 30-year foodservice operator—with proven processing discipline—as a potential production partner.
Jobs and Regional Impact
The new plant is projected to create 140 net new jobs in Anne Arundel County. Amy Gowan, president and CEO of the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation, called the investment a reinforcement of the region's role in Maryland's broader food manufacturing economy. The facility builds on Holly Poultry's three-decade heritage serving foodservice customers while giving the company a production infrastructure purpose-built for retail speed and scale requirements.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
