Glanbia plc, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (“DFA”) Michigan Milk Producers Association (“MMPA”) and Foremost Farms USA (“Foremost Farms“) announced today that they are in advanced discussions to create a stand-alone joint venture to build and operate a new cheese and whey production facility in the State of Michigan, USA. Upon completion, the plant is projected to process 8 million pounds (3.6 million litres) of milk per day. It is proposed that 50% of the joint venture will be owned by Glanbia and the 50% balance will be owned by DFA, MMPA and Foremost Farms.
As part of the proposed joint venture DFA, MMPA and Foremost Farms would supply all milk required by the plant while Glanbia will have full responsibility for all commercial, technical and operational aspects of the business. If the project proceeds as planned, commissioning of the new facility is expected to take place in the second half of 2019.
Commenting on the announcement, Brian Phelan, CEO of Glanbia Nutritionals said,
“Glanbia is delighted to announce this exciting proposed project in the state of Michigan with DFA, Michigan Milk Producers Association and Foremost Farms. Consistent with Glanbia’s growth strategy, this proposed venture will build on our position as the number one producer of American-style cheddar cheese and simultaneously expand our global position as a supplier of advanced technology whey protein to the nutritional sector. This proposed joint venture is a strategic move by all the partners to benefit from the growing, large-scale milk pool in the State of Michigan.”
Glanbia plc
Glanbia is a global nutrition company, grounded in nature and science, dedicated to providing better nutrition for every step of life’s journey.
Glanbia actively serves the nutritional needs of consumers directly through a range of branded products and as an ingredient partner to the wider food industry. Headquartered in Kilkenny, Ireland Glanbia has a turnover of €3.7 billion per annum and 6,000 employees in 32 countries worldwide.
Glanbia is the world’s leading producer and marketer of quality performance nutrition consumer products supporting active lifestyles. Its success as a global ingredients provider has been built on Glanbia’s expertise in nutritional solutions supported by significant investment in research and development.
Glanbia has deep roots in the dairy industry in both Ireland and the USA. Glanbia is the largest dairy processor in Idaho, USA and through its joint venture; Glanbia Ingredients Ireland, is Ireland’s number one dairy processor. South West Cheese based in Clovis, New Mexico is one of the largest and most successful cheese and whey protein manufacturers in the world and is joint venture between Glanbia plc and the Greater Southwest Agency, Inc.
Dairy Farmers of America
Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) is a national dairy marketing cooperative that serves and is owned by more than 14,000 members on nearly 8,000 farms in 48 states. DFA also is one of the country’s most diversified manufacturers of dairy products, food components and ingredients, and is a leader in formulating and packaging shelf-stable dairy products. For more information, visit www.dfamilk.com.
Michigan Milk Producers Association
The Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) is a dairy farmer owned cooperative. Founded in 1916, the MMPA serves approximately 2,000 dairy farmers in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin.
MMPA operates two SQF Level 3 certified manufacturing plants in Ovid and Constantine, Michigan and handles approximately 5 billion pounds of milk annually. Products made at MMPA’s plants include butter, nonfat dry milk, whole milk powder, cream and condensed skim milk. In addition, MMPA manufactures specialty cheeses at the recently acquired Deutsch Käse Haus in Middlebury, Indiana.
Foremost Farms USA
Foremost Farms USA (www.foremostfarms.com), headquartered in Baraboo, Wis., is a farmer-owned milk processing and marketing cooperative with 1,300 dairy farmers in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. The nation’s eighth-largest dairy cooperative and number 25 in annual sales among the Top 100 dairy processors, Foremost Farms is a leading manufacturer and marketer of cheese, specialty whey ingredients, butter, and bulk fluid milk to customers around the world.
