Upstate Niagara Cooperative Proposes $150 Million Expansion of Dairy Plant
Upstate Niagara Cooperative Inc. is planning to expand its West Seneca, N.Y., processing facility with a $150 million investment that will more than double the size of the facility and significantly increase its production capacity, according to local news reports.
The proposal put forth by the cooperative of 260 upstate New York dairy farmers would add 250,000 sq. ft. to the existing 222,851-sq.-ft. dairy plant, as well as about 130 employees once finished. The expansion would start this fall if tax breaks and incentives requested are approved in August with the Erie County Industrial Development Agency, the news report noted.
The new portion of the facility would add storage for finished product and would feature more than 200,000 sq. ft. of new processing space that would focus on milk, yogurt, sour cream and cottage cheese production, with the company’s CEO telling another news outlet that the demand for cottage cheese and Greek yogurt has been the catalyst for this project.
Expected completion date for the project would be late 2026, according to the reports.