KENDALLVILLE, Ind. – Michigan’s largest producer of eggs is expanding into northeast Indiana with a new plant expected to begin processing more than a million eggs a day in the spring.

Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, based in Saranac about 30 miles east of Grand Rapids, is building a new processing facility in Kendallville.

According to company officials, the 75,000-square-foot plant on Western Avenue, will process about 420 million eggs annually.

Cody Herbruck, associate vice president of operations, said the plant will meet increased demand for eggs, allow for the local processing of Indiana farm eggs and distribution of eggs directly from the site to customers.

“We are excited to be part of the Kendallville community and thank local leaders for their support,” he said.

The plant is expected to create 60 jobs and generate more than $20 million in economic investments.

Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, founded in 1958, has several other egg-producing facilities near Saranac, along with another plant in Topeka, Ind., and other facilities in Pennsylvania.

The company has its own egg laying facilities to help generate billions of eggs a year. The remainder of the eggs are from small farms in Michigan and Indiana for organic and cage-free eggs available under well-known specialty and niche brands to retailers and food service outlets across the country.

The new facility received state tax credits from Indiana due to the creation of jobs.

“Herbruck’s is a family-owned company built on generations of hard work and they’re making a long-term investment in Kendallville that will bring good paying jobs and new opportunities to the area,” said Indiana Gov. Mike Braun.

According to the company’s website, the Herbruck family has been in the egg business since at least the 1920s, when Harry Herbruck started an egg delivery company in the Flint, Mich., area.

As the company grew, Herbruck’s service territory for delivery expanded from Flint to Saginaw and Detroit.

Eventually, Harry Herbruck Jr. and his wife, Marilyn, with a growing family to support, broke away from the company to produce their own eggs for delivery from 6,000 chickens housed in a coop in Saranac.

That gave birth to Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, currently operated by the sons and daughter of Harry Jr. and now a fourth generation of family members, according to the company’s webpage.

Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch is also recognized for innovation in technology resulting in the creation of the 18-egg carton and other things like devising and using robots for egg packing.

According to the company’s website, other in-house developments include processing poultry litter into dried fertilizer products, using computerized monitoring equipment for the hen house and processing lines and strict guidelines for hen husbandry.