DanoneWave expands plant-based beverage production with $60m investment

By Mary Ellen Shoup

- Last updated on GMT

WhiteWave Foods was purchased by Danone in April 2017 for approximately $12bn and is now referred to as "DanoneWave".
WhiteWave Foods was purchased by Danone in April 2017 for approximately $12bn and is now referred to as "DanoneWave".

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DanoneWave, the newly combined business unit of Danone and WhiteWave, will invest up to $60m to expand its plant-based beverage manufacturing operations at its Mount Crawford, Virginia, facility.

The company will add production capacity and expand its existing warehouse (formerly a WhiteWave Foods manufacturing plant). The expansion of the facility, which currently employs 500 Virginia residents, is expected to create up to 49 new jobs, the county said.

Before the merger of Danone and WhiteWave Foods​ earlier this year, the Virginia facility was used to manufacture a variety of WhiteWave-owned brands including Silk plant-based food and beverages, Horizon Organic, International Delight, and Land O’Lakes products.

DanoneWave says its aim as a “public benefit corporation”​ is to produce healthy dairy and plant-based products made through sustainable agriculture practices while creating economic and social values.

“We are thrilled to carry on Virginia’s 30-year corporate partnership with legacy WhiteWave Foods to DanoneWave, and look forward to the company’s next chapter in Rockingham County as it expands its product portfolio,”​ Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said.

DanoneWave’s portfolio of brands now includes: Activia, DanActive, Danimals, Dannon, Danonino, Danone, Earthbound Farm, Horizon Organic premium dairy products, International Delight coffee creamers and iced coffee, Light & Fit, Oikos Greek yogurt, Silk, So Delicious Dairy Free, Vega, and Wallaby Organic.

“With the support of our employees, business partners and the community at large, including the Commonwealth, we are able to provide better-for-you food and beverage choices,”​ Dan Poland, chief supply chain officer for DanoneWave, said.

DanoneWave will receive a $700,000 performance-based grant from the Virginia Investment Partnership (VIP) program, an incentive available to existing companies, to assist the county with the project. The company will also be eligible to receive sales and use tax exemptions on manufacturing equipment. Additional funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the VIP program.

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