U.S. Sees $11.2 Billion Worth of Active Dairy Projects

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Industrial Info is tracking nearly $11.2 billion worth of active dairy projects in the U.S. The Great Lakes market region leads the country in terms of overall project value, with $2.5 billion in active dairy projects.

One of the largest dairy projects under construction in the U.S. is a grassroot cheese production plant in Lubbock, Texas. Construction on Leprino Foods Company's (Denver, Colorado) new facility kicked off in 2022, and the first phase of the project is expected to be completed in late 2024. The 850,000-square-foot facility will be home to the latest state-of-the-art technology and environmentally friendly features, such as water capture and reuse throughout the facility, according to a company press release. The plant will produce mozzarella cheese and dairy ingredients from approximately 8 million pounds of milk per day.

But Leprino may not be finished after Phase I is complete. A Phase II expansion is in the early planning stages and could begin construction in early 2025. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Food & Beverage Project Database can click here for related reports.

Global food giant Nestlé SA (Vevey, Switzerland) is underway with its own dairy-based projects in the U.S. The largest of these is for a coffee creamer plant in Glendale, Arizona, in the Phoenix metro area, that will manufacture creamers using both traditional dairy and oat milk for brands such as Starbucks and Coffee Mate. According to local news media, the facility is aiming to be 100% powered from renewable energy by 2025 and will use fully recyclable product packaging made from food-safe recycled plastic. The project is expected to be completed in mid-2024. Subscribers can click here for more information.

Nestlé also is expanding its creamery in Fort Wayne, Indiana, nearly doubling the size of the facility with a 240,000-square-foot building addition with two new production lines to manufacture the company's popular Drumstick ice cream cones. The project is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.

In the more niche craft ice cream market, Ice Cream Factory (Eldon, Missouri), which manufactures small-batch craft ice cream flavors, is converting an old dairy facility built in the late 1940s in Lebanon, Missouri, into its new production plant. The project broke ground earlier this year and is expected to be completed by yearend. Subscribers can click here for more details.

Another small-batch, craft dairy operation, this time for yogurt, is being established in Batavia, New York, by La Fermière, a family-owned yogurt and dessert company based in Aubagne, France. The company makes its yogurts in small batches using glass jars and a minimum of ingredients. The 45,000-square-foot grassroot plant will use approximately 6 million gallons of milk per year. The facility will be La Fermière's first company-owned plant in the U.S. as it has been working with a New York-based copacker for its U.S. distribution. According to news media, the new plant will be central to La Fermière's goal of having its U.S. sales eventually match those in France--10 million tons of finished products annually. The company has pledged to create up to 68 jobs at the Batavia plant over the first three years of its operations, and 135 within five years. The facility is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Subscribers can click here for more information.

Also in New York, a name that doesn't immediately spring to mind when it comes to dairy, The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) (Atlanta, Georgia), is building a grassroot plant in Webster, near Rochester, to manufacture its Fairlife milk products. Fairlife products use "ultra-filtered" milk that removes much of the lactose and other sugars, leaving behind more protein and calcium. In addition to milk, Fairlife also manufactures protein and meal replacement shakes. Coca-Cola acquired the Fairlife brand in 2020. Construction on the facility is set to begin later this year, with completion expected in late 2025. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Food & Beverage Database can click here to see reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).