Work is underway on a new milk products facility in Webster that will be the largest daily plant in the Northeast, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul, who participated in a ceremonial groundbreaking Thursday.
The Fairlife facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2025 and employ about 250 people, according to a statement from the governor's office. Two jobs at the facility have already been posted: plant director and engineering director .
The 745,000-square-foot plant is being built on roughly 110 acres off Tebor Road, which is north of Route 104 and west of County Line Road.
Fairlife , a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Co., produces protein shakes and ultra-filtered milk, which is lactose-free, lower in sugar and higher in protein and calcium.
The company was founded in 2012 and is based in Chicago. Coca-Cola acquired it in 2020, although the soda giant has partnered with Fairlife since its inception. Fairlife surpassed $1 billion in annual sales in 2021 and has production facilities in Michigan and Arizona.
The Webster plant is expected to use five to six million pounds of locally sourced milk daily, according to Coca-Cola.
"People don't think of New York as being a dairy state," but they should because of its thousands of dairy farms, Hochul said.
New York ranks fifth among the states for milk production, generating 15.5 billion pounds each year, and has more than 3,400 dairy farms, according to the American Dairy Association North East.
Keith Kimball, chair of the Northeast Dairy Producers Association, said in a statement that his farmer-led group is "excited about the opportunity Fairlife will bring our family dairy farmers and dairy cooperative partners." The association represents farmers who generate about two-thirds of the milk in the state, he said.
"Being chosen as the home of this new milk plant is a testament to New York dairy farmers' commitment to their employees, environment and families," Kimball said.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Dairy plant coming to Webster expected to employ 250. Two jobs already posted
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