In this section:

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

Chris Gutierrez

President | KC SmartPort

816.591.7311

Chris leads KC SmartPort business development and provides thought leadership to the supply chain industry in Kansas City.

Food and Beverage Logistics Hub

As food trends rapidly change and speed to market becomes increasingly critical, the Kansas City region is emerging as one of the largest and fastest growing food and beverage logistics hubs in the U.S. Located in the heart of the country’s agricultural region, KC isone of the best places for food and beverage production, ingredient manufacturing, cold storage and other food related supply chain activities.

Setting up operations in Kansas City means cost efficient product distribution by reaching 85% of the U.S. population in two days. Easy access to five Class I railroads and four major interstates support Kansas City’s rank as the #1 rail center in the U.S. by tonnage and #3 truck center.

KC Region Industrial Food & Beverage Operations

More than 700 industrial food and beverage companies call Kansas City home and it’s not hard to see why. Kansas City’s $5.2 billion food and beverage industry continues to thrive with proximity to key agriculture markets, advanced logistics infrastructure, clean and reliable water supply, abundant utility capacity and a strong industry-specific talent pipeline. Kansas City has a workforce of almost 28,000 people employed in food and beverage manufacturing, warehousing and distribution.

Source: JobsEQ 1Q 2024
Data represents KCADC 18-County Region

Existing Presence

Source: QWI 2019 Yearly Average

Kansas City is creating a 21st Century Workforce by cultivating a pipeline of preparation through education and training.

Manufacturing industry leaders, education and training providers, and the public workforce system are working together to assess critical hiring needs and the core competencies necessary to fill open positions. This is creating leading-edge education and training programs specifically designed to meet industry’s most pressing needs, like the implementation of the MT1 Certification. The Kansas City region is also the first to pilot a national careers campaign designed to help attract and train young people in advanced manufacturing.