$470m cheese and whey facility coming to St. John’s, Mich.

10-Aug-2018 - Last updated on 10-Aug-2018 at 19:13 GMT

Local officials and members of partner groups involved with the facility in St. Johns, which will create at least 250 new jobs..

Related tags Cheese Whey Whey protein Manufacturing New facility

St. Johns, Michigan, has been selected as the site of a new large-scale cheese and whey facility, Glanbia Nutritionals, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and Select Milk Producers Inc. (Select) said in a joint announcement.

St. Johns was chosen over other cities in Michigan because the site met key selection criteria. It’s close to milk supply, has strong transport links, a positive business environment and labor availability.

The facility is expected to be commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2020 for $470m. It will process around 3.6m liters of milk per day into a variety of cheese and whey products for the US as well as international markets.

It will create at least 250 news jobs when in full production. Glanbia, DFA and Select also confirmed that Proliant Dairy Ingredients will invest $85m in an adjoining facility to process the whey permeate. Its partner facility will create up to 38 additional jobs.

Glanbia, DFA and Select are working with officials from the state, city and the local community to discuss cost, infrastructure and planning details.

Brian Phelan, CEO of Glanbia Nutritionals, said, “The finalization of the preferred location is a critical step on our journey to deliver a new ultra-modern dairy facility in Michigan. We want to thank the state and city authorities for their continued support as we move to commence construction as soon as possible.”

Greg Wickham, CFO at DFA, said, “The construction of this plant in St. Johns will not only address a growing industry need for Michigan plant capacity, but it also adds value and supports our local dairy farm families in this area.”