Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. has signed an agreement to purchase the Byrne Dairy fresh fluid milk operations including the fluid milk plant located in Syracuse, New York and several distribution centers throughout New York state. Closing of the deal is expected to be completed within the next forty days.
“This acquisition is a strategic investment by our member-owners toward continued and long-term growth for our cooperative and will strengthen our ability to continue to provide award-winning products and exceptional customer service while expanding our reach into adjoining markets,” says Lawrence Webster, Chief Executive Officer for Upstate Niagara Cooperative.
“We are excited and eager to embark on this new chapter of our cooperative’s journey and are committed to completing the transition as seamlessly as possible for the employees and customers impacted.”
As part of the deal, Upstate Niagara Cooperative is signing a long-term licensing agreement for the continued use of the Byrne Dairy brand on fresh fluid dairy products, which will join the lineup of the company’s brands: Upstate Farms®, Intense Milk®, Milk for Life®, Bison®, and Valley Farms®.
The dairy will be the ninth manufacturing facility for Upstate Niagara Cooperative, and its fourth fluid milk plant, allowing the company to be able to better serve its existing customers and to establish a stronger presence in the region. Operations will be managed by existing employees and the facility will continue to provide all Byrne Dairy customers with the great-quality products and the high level of service they expect and love.
To learn more about Upstate Niagara Cooperative, visit upstateniagara.com.
ABOUT UPSTATE NIAGARA COOPERATIVE, INC.
A cooperative of over 310 family-owned farms, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. is a food and beverage company that has been offering innovative, award-winning, high-quality dairy products since 1965. These product offerings include milk, flavored milk beverages, yogurt, dip, sour cream, cheese, and ice cream mix products marketed under the Upstate Farms®, Bison®, Intense Milk®, Milk for Life® and Valley Farms® brands. The organization’s distribution network includes the Northeast & Mid-Atlantic regions for direct store delivery and stretches across the country in the foodservice channel, under the Upstate Farms® brand. The cooperative has over 1,000 employees and is also the majority owner of O-AT-KA Milk Products, Inc., which produces condensed milk, milk powders, butter and value-added shelf-stable dairy-based beverages.
