Ornua, Ireland’s largest premium dairy cooperative, is expanding its North American division with a $10 million investment in its production facility in Hilbert, Wisconsin.
The company plans to add 22,000 square feet of warehousing and cooling infrastructure to the already state-of-the-art operation. The expansion is expected to increase the cheesemaking plant’s production by 30% and is expected to be completed in February 2021.
Ornua Ingredients North America specializes in producing customized, functional cheese products for major food manufacturing and food service customers. This latest investment is a result of a period of exceptional multi-year growth in the division, with 2019 reporting a record year with double-digit growth. The company’s two cheesemaking facilities in Hilbert and Byron, Minnesota, employ more than 265 associates.
According to Rick Pedersen, president of Ornua Ingredients North America, “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.”