Asheboro, NC

Ever hear of Malt-O-Meal Frosted Mini-Spooners?

That is one of the two ready-to-eat cold cereals that are now being manufactured in Asheboro, thanks to Malt-O-Meal Co.’s new plant, which opened in summer 2009. Besides Frosted Mini-Spooners, the Asheboro facility is also producing Malt-O-Meal Frosted Flakes.

“This company was founded in 1919 and is based in Minneapolis and already had additional production facilities in Utah and Iowa,” says Jim Patterson, human resources manager for Malt-O-Meal. “Back in 2006, it started looking for an additional site to better distribute its products to the eastern United States, and Asheboro was chosen.”

Malt-O-Meal purchased the former Unilever food plant that had closed, then renovated the building and added more square footage. Two production lines were constructed and began to roll out cereal in June 2009.

Patterson says that in order to land the cereal maker, Asheboro had to beat out cities in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and other parts of North Carolina.

“Having the former Unilever food plant already built was a big plus, because a food plant must be painstakingly constructed in order to address strict pest control and food safety issues,” Patterson says. “The Asheboro building was also constructed in a way where it could easily be expanded. Finally, another key factor for Malt-O-Meal choosing Asheboro is the city’s easy access to highway and rail-distribution routes.”

The Asheboro plant has 150 employees, and the facility operates 24 hours a day seven days a week.

“The Asheboro workforce has an excellent work ethic, which has been proven every day since we’ve been open,” Patterson says. “They make good, quality food. And Malt-O-Meal provides customers with more cereal for less money compared to competitors, which is a great deal in today’s economy.”