PANORA, Iowa – U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Friday that the department is investing $11.1 million under the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program to help Crystal Freeze Dry LLC expand capacity to manufacture freeze-dried egg products and create job opportunities for people living in rural Iowa.
The funding is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to strengthen critical food supply chain infrastructure to create more thriving communities for the American people.
"The Biden-Harris administration is investing in ways to create more, new and better market opportunities for farmers and increase access to healthy food options for people across the nation," Vilsack said. “Through the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program, USDA has become a stronger partner to small and midsize farmers everywhere by backing private investments to expand processing capacity that will strengthen the food supply chain for the American people. The investment we’re announcing today is the first of many that will help to eliminate supply chain bottle necks and create more resilient, diverse and secure food supply infrastructure right here at home.”
Crystal Freeze Dry LLC, a family-owned dried-egg product manufacturer, will use the funding to expand its business and create jobs for seven people in Guthrie County. Funds also will be used to purchase equipment, refinance debt and support working capital.
The company supplies American troops and sailors with homegrown eggs that require no refrigeration and are not fragile. For example, it recently launched “Egg in a Cup," which can be microwaved to make scrambled eggs.
It is making plans to enter markets in Puerto Rico due to local power grid issues. Supplying these products to frontline troops, ships at sea, and areas with unstable electrical grids creates a more resilient, diverse, and secure food supply chain.
The Biden-Harris administration made these funds available through its historic legislative package, the American Rescue Plan Act. The program is part of the administration’s efforts to address food system challenges dating back decades and further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program supports essential processing and supply chain infrastructure to help eliminate bottlenecks in the food supply chain, deliver more opportunities and fairer prices for farmers and provide people with greater access to healthier foods.
USDA will announce additional recipients for the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program in the coming weeks and months.
