Kerrygold parent Ornua has announced that it has invested $10 million in its cheese-making facility in Hilbert, Wisconsin.
The money will be used to add 22,000 square feet of warehousing and cooling infrastructure to the facility, thereby boosting production capacity by 30%.
Construction of the new infrastructure is being carried out by Wisconsin-based building firm Bayland Construction and is expected to be completed in February 2021, Ornua added.
'Core Component'
Managing director of Ornua Ingredients, Bernard Condon, commented, “This latest round of investment is consistent with the investments made since Ornua acquired Thiel Cheese and it is a business that will see further investment over the coming years.
“Hilbert is a core component of Ornua Ingredients North America’s ability to create value on behalf of our coop members and generations of Irish dairy farming families.”
Ornua Ingredients North America specialises in the production of customised, functional cheese products for major US food manufacturing and foodservice customers.
The facility is already equipped with some of the most advanced dairy processing equipment and has a state-of-the-art innovation centre.
'Long-Term Partnerships'
Rick Pedersen, president of Ornua Ingredients North America, stated, “Ornua Ingredients’ core ethos revolves around creating and maintaining long-term partnerships with our customers through innovation, best-in-class technical expertise and a true spirit of collaboration that delivers functional cheeses that meet the demands of brands and consumers.
“The capacity and flexibility enabled by this latest investment will allow us to deliver the scale and breadth of product portfolio required to maintain our position as the leading partner in our customers’ ambitious growth plans.”
The company operates another cheese-making facility in Byron, Minnesota.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
