Danone plans to expand a dairy plant in western Ohio amid “explosive” growth in demand for its yogurt products, company officials announced last week.
The U.S. subsidiary of the French dairy and nutrition giant intends to build a 48,000-square-foot expansion at the site in Minster, Ohio, along with adding a new production line and upgrading the facility’s current lines.
Danone officials did not specify a total price tag for the project but said that it would be a “multi-million-dollar” expansion. The addition is expected to create 30 jobs.
The Minster plant, officials said, produces yogurt products under Danone’s Dannon, Activia, Oikos and Danimals brands, which have benefited from sharp increases in demand for high-protein, “nutrient-dense” foods.
“Our commitment to American manufacturing runs deep, with 90 percent of our ingredients and packaging materials bought here,” Danone North America President Dan Magliocco said in the announcement. “Fulfilling our mission to bring health through food to as many people as possible means producing nutrient-rich foods with U.S. ingredients in American factories that are benefiting local communities.”
Danone also expects to buy 60% more milk for the Ohio plant over the next “couple” years. The company plans to work with its current suppliers to increase production, as well as add new dairy farm partners.
