The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.
Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. and BelGioioso Cheese, Inc. have signed transactional agreements to sell and purchase, respectively, the Upstate Farms Cheese, LLC. facility located in Campbell, NY. Closing of the deal is expected to be completed within the next 60 days, pending final due diligence.
“We are pleased to have a strong national branded company like BelGioioso, owners of the Polly-O Brand, purchase this facility, maintain the business operations and continue the employment of all our team members,” said Lawrence Webster, Chief Executive Officer for Upstate Niagara Cooperative. “We are committed to completing this transition as seamlessly as possible for the benefit of all the parties involved, especially our employees and customers.”
“From the first time we set foot in this facility and talked with the passionate cheesemakers working there, we felt that this would be a great fit for us,” said Errico Auricchio, President, BelGioioso Cheese. “It is exciting to have the opportunity to expand our operations with a facility that’s been making the Polly-O brand of award-winning Italian cheese for over 80 years.”
This transaction is a great solution for all constituents. Under the ownership of BelGioioso, a company with deep roots in traditional Italian cheesemaking, the plant will flourish, while high quality local milk will continue to be supplied from Upstate Niagara Cooperative member farms to the plant, as part of a long-term milk supply agreement.
To learn more about Upstate Niagara Cooperative, visit upstateniagara.com.
To learn more about BelGioioso Cheese, visit belgioioso.com.
ABOUT UPSTATE NIAGARA COOPERATIVE, INC.
A cooperative of just under 300 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, shelf stable ready-to-drink beverages, yogurt, dip, sour cream, cheese, canned evaporated milk and ice cream mix products marketed under the Upstate Farms®, Bison®, Intense Milk®, Milk for Life®, O-AT-KA®, Gold Cow® and Valley Farms® brands, in addition to numerous contract and retail customer 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. The Cooperative has over 1,900 employees, with nine dairy manufacturing plants located in New York state and Pennsylvania.
www.upstateniagara.comABOUT BELGIOIOSO CHEESE, INC.
BelGioioso Cheese is a family-owned and operated company specializing in artisan Italian cheesemaking. Using natural ingredients and fresh, local Wisconsin milk, Master Cheesemakers hand-craft a full line of exceptional cheeses guided by a commitment to quality and a respect for tradition. At BelGioioso, every cheese is a specialty.
www.belgioioso.com.
