Lactalis USA upgrades New York sites

New York state governor Kathy Hochul announced Lactalis USA will invest more than US$75 million (€64 million) to upgrade both its Walton and Buffalo facilities in the state, enabling them to expand capacity and gain efficiencies. The projects in Delaware and Erie counties include the purchase of new equipment and upgrades that will allow the dairy manufacturer to retain more than 800 full time jobs and create more than 50 new jobs. Lactalis USA is part of Lactalis, the world’s largest dairy company, and has chosen to expand in New York State due in part to support from the governor and Empire State Development.

“New York will continue to work with businesses in the agri-food sectors as they expand and grow to ensure good-paying jobs remain in our communities,” Governor Hochul said. “By investing in the Lactalis USA facilities and assisting with improvements, New York is retaining hundreds of jobs and adding new jobs, as well as helping to support the region’s dairy farmers.”

The Walton plant produces Breakstone’s sour cream and cottage cheese. It will undergo a $15 million modernisation, focusing on automating and expanding the cottage cheese and sour cream production lines, enhancing efficiency, capacity, and sustainability. Currently, the facility has limited capacity, while market demand for nutritious high-protein foods is increasing. The facility also relies on technology that requires extensive maintenance, and the improvements will increase versatility for product innovation. The project will include new fillers, HEPA air filtration, advanced lab equipment, new roofing, boiler upgrades, and several other improvements to the facility. The upgrades will result in a 30% boost in output.

The Buffalo plant produces Galbani ricotta, mozzarella and provolone cheese, along with whey powder that is distributed across the US and abroad. The $60 million expansion includes the installation of six 50,000-pound vats, an advanced cheese belt, separators, silos and a robotic palletiser. Building remodelling will include relocating the cheese lab to maintain production, increasing mozzarella and provolone production by 37

million pounds annually. Ricotta production will also be expanded, and new energy efficient technology will be added. With the addition of this expansion project, Lactalis USA has committed to investing a total of approximately $123 million in its Buffalo facilities from 2020 through the end of 2027.

In addition to creating jobs, both plants support the region’s agricultural economy by processing more than 800 million pounds of raw milk annually from 236 local dairy farmers.

Lactalis USA CEO Esteve Torrens said, “Lactalis has two plants in New York state that are key to our growing business in the United States. Our Buffalo plant is home to a significant ricotta and mozzarella production under the Galbani brand. Our Walton plant continues a rich tradition since 1882 of producing Breakstone’s sour cream and is essential to strengthening our cottage cheese business in a rapidly growing category. We are committed to supporting the communities of Buffalo and Walton as we continue to grow in those markets and we thank Governor Hochul and ESD for their support.