09-03-2025
Construction underway for Happy Halal in Willmar, Minnesota
Mar. 8---- Clean Chickens, a Minnesota meat processing company, began construction on its $3.5 million halal meat processing facility, Happy Halal, in September of 2024. Since then, construction on the Willmar plant has been underway and is expected to finish this spring.
According to a previous report by the West Central Tribune, much of the building was precast, allowing for the quick construction of the 5,000-square-foot facility.
When operational, Happy Halal is expected to process a mixture of goat and sheep through halal butchering methods in order to fill a need within the Willmar community and beyond. Halal foods are permissible by Islamic law.
In a previous report by the West Central Tribune, Clean Chickens owners stated that they were looking to utilize Ridgewater College's meat processing program to help train employees. The new facility is expected to create 18 new jobs when it is operational.
The land for the building, located in the Willmar Industrial Park just west of County Road 5 Northwest, is funded in part through grants provided by the
. At a groundbreaking event on Sept. 18, 2024, President of the Minnesota Farmers Union Gary Wertish said that much of the meat processing industry is dominated by beef, pork and poultry and that by expanding the processing available, farmers will have more options for livestock.
is family-run business that began as a mobile chicken processing company headquartered in Elk River.
