Ham producer to build $1.2M facility in Isle of Wight County

Isle of Wight County is bringing home the bacon in the form of a $1.2 million Darden Hams production facility.

Based in Isle of Wight, the company will build a 7,200-square-foot facility on a 10-acre site, bringing ham production back to the “Ham Capital of the World,” according to a Tuesday news release from Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office.

The town of Smithfield was for centuries the home of the famous Smithfield cured ham, but in 2024, production was discontinued of Genuine Smithfield Hams, a brand owned by Smithfield Foods. The company, still based in Virginia, said the salty country hams were less popular than other kinds of ham.

“Virginia’s economy grows stronger when our local businesses expand, invest and create new opportunities right here at home,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Darden Hams’ expansion reflects the strength of Virginia agriculture, the commonwealth’s largest private industry, and the confidence that family-owned businesses have in our economy and our communities.”

Darden Hams will use the facility to expand production of Darden’s Country Ham as a product line under TLD Hams (dba Darden Hams). The building will have more than five times the company’s current production capacity and will house a curing and smoking operation, a warehouse, a processing area and a show kitchen for demonstrations and product tastings.

The company will seek a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant of inspection for the facility, according to a news release, which will allow the company to sell products online and through wholesale interstate distribution.

Additionally, Darden Hams has committed to buying $306,331 (or 300,942 pounds) of Virginia-grown pork, according to a news release.

Dating to 1952, Darden Hams began with a smokehouse at the intersection of Bowling Green and Carroll Bridge roads, now next to Darden’s Country Store. The company also has Darden’s Country Store – Outpost at the northern end of Isle of Wight County.

“We are excited for this opportunity to expand our facility and product line and reach new market opportunities while also helping to strengthen the agricultural economy of Southeastern Virginia,” Darden Hams owner Thomas Darden said in a statement.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services worked with Isle of Wight to help fund the project. Youngkin approved a $50,000 facility grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund, which the county will match.