Lactalis USA plans to invest more than $75 million to expand production at its two New York dairy facilities and meet demand for high-protein foods.
The projects at the Walton and Buffalo plants include the purchase of new equipment and upgrades that will help the company add efficiencies and boost innovation. The expansions will create more than 50 new jobs, the dairy manufacturer said.
The Buffalo facility makes ricotta, mozzarella and provolone under the Galbani brand, along with whey powder. The Walton location produces Breakstone’s sour cream and is important to expanding the company’s cottage cheese business. The two locations process more than 800 million pounds of raw milk annually.
These “are key to our growing business in the United States,” Esteve Torrens, Lactalis USA’s CEO, said in a statement.
The company has committed to investing $123 million in its Buffalo facilities from 2020 through the end of 2027, New York state said.
Lactalis USA, a division of the French dairy company, has sold Président cheese and its popular shelf-stable milk brand Parmalat in the U.S. for years. But it has rapidly expanded its presence with the purchase of Stonyfield, Siggi’s, natural cheese brands from Kraft Heinz and General Mill’s U.S. yogurt business.
To meet the growing demand for its cheeses and other dairy products, Lactalis has been investing heavily to boost production. Last year, it announced it would spend $55 million in its Tulare, California facility to increase the volume of Président Feta cheese products.
