Dairy Processing - March/April 2024 - 28

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's office shared
that it also is the largest economic development
project in the history of Cattaraugus County.
The new plant, scheduled to open in 2025, will
replace Great Lakes Cheese's Cuba, NY, facility.
The company will retain 228 jobs and add 215
employees by upgrading to the new facility.
" Great Lakes Cheese was uncompromising in
its search for a site that worked for our employeeowners,
our business and the local community, "
said Great Lakes Cheese chief executive officer
Dan Zagzebski. " Franklinville checked every box.
The community has understood and embraced our
vision of, 'Together, for generations to come.' They
have partnered with us on this historic investment
so that generations of employee-owners can thrive
in western New York. "
Hochul called the new facility a " historic win "
for the region, providing an " extraordinary boost "
to its economic growth and increasing the stability
of New York dairy farms.
dairy farmers across the south plains (in Texas) to
fulfill daily production needs. "
The company broke ground on the
850,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the
summer of 2022. Once the facility becomes fully
operational in the spring of 2025, the investment
will result in $10.6 billion over the next 10 years.
Leprino Foods will hire 600 full-time workers to
staff the facility, which will run around the clock.
Positions will range from production operations
and maintenance to technical engineers and
human resources. The total annual payroll at the
facility will be more than $33 million.
The Leprino facility will produce more than
1 million lbs of cheese daily, and the finished
products will be distributed throughout the US
and internationally.
Great Lakes Cheese, manufacturer and
packager of natural and processed bulk,
shredded and sliced cheeses, broke ground on
its newest manufacturing and packaging plant in
Franklinville, NY, in April 2022.
The state-of-the-art, 500,000-square-foot facility
has a capital investment of more than $518 million
- the largest infrastructure investment in the
Hiram, Ohio-based cheese producer's history.
28 MAR-APR 2024 | DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Great Lakes Cheese, which supplies
approximately 25% of all the packaged cheese
consumed in the US, has eight existing plants.
When the new Franklinville plant opens, between
that site and the company's processing facility in
Adams, NY, the company expects to make use of
roughly 14.4% of New York's total milk production.
UP AND RUNNING
Specialty cheese producer Emmi Roth
announced the opening of its new
158,000-square-foot headquarters in November
2023. The facility in Stoughton, Wis., features a
state-of-the-art conversion facility for cupping,
bagging, wedging, shredding and crumbling
cheeses for numerous brands.
The company said the new space allows it
to " control more of its supply chain, " as well
as improve " the US cheese industry's overall
conversion landscape. "
Tim Omer, president of Emmi Roth, said the
company's leaders were happy to open the facility.
" Our team has worked tirelessly over the past
two years to make this dream a reality, which will
significantly impact our business and our ability to
better serve our customers, " Omer said.
Emmi Roth in 2021 acquired leading feta
brand Athenos, and the company said that
addition led to the need for more conversion
Dave Gordon Photography
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Dairy Processing - March/April 2024

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