Daisy Brand Ohio plant expansion to accommodate cottage cheese production

Sour cream and cottage cheese manufacturer, Daisy Brand, is expanding its facility located in the city of Wooster, Ohio, to accommodate increased production capacity.

According to a statement from the city of Wooster, shortly following the launch of sour cream production at the Wooster facility in September 2016, Daisy Brand representatives shared a company-wide need for additional space in order to increase manufacturing capacity for all its products.

The Wooster production facility was considered for the expansion plan along with Daisy Brand’s other facilities throughout the US.

In order to sway Daisy Brand to build in Wooster, the city of Wooster, Wayne Economic Development Council, Team Northeast Ohio, and JobsOhio partnered to develop a comprehensive incentive package influencing the company’s decision to expand in Ohio, with final permission to proceed contingent upon formal incentive approvals.

"Wooster continues to be attractive for Daisy to invest, as the location, employees and milk supply allow us to produce quality products for our consumers," the Daisy Brand said in a statement.

2020 goal of 170 employees

The Daisy Brand is investing $45m for the expansion, which includes construction of a 100,000 square foot plant addition that will house several new packaging lines. The company is also investing an additional $97m in other assets, according to the economic development department for the city of Wooster.

The added production capacity is expected to more than double the facility’s current employment positions.

“Today there are 58 employees. With this new expansion, they will be adding another 81 employees,” Jonathon Millea, economic development coordinator for the city of Wooster, told DairyReporter.

“By 2020, the company is intending to have 170 workers present at the site.”

Cottage cheese production in the Northeast

Currently, the Daisy Brand production facility in Wooster only produces sour cream products, but the expansion will eventually house cottage cheese production lines, Millea said.

“They have been manufacturing cottage cheese for a while in their other two plants,” he said.

The company has two production facilities in Texas and Arizona where both sour cream and cottage cheese products are produced.

“This will be the first time the Wooster plant will be producing cottage cheese.