Chobani is breaking ground on a new dairy processing plant in Rome, N.Y., including up to 28 production lines designed to process about 12 million pounds of milk per day, the company says.
The company expects this $1.2 billion investment to create jobs, support family farms, transform communities, and improve accessibility for its natural food products.
“With our new plant in Rome and our original home in South Edmeston, we’re entering a new dimension, partnering with hard-working people across the heartland of New York to build an ecosystem of natural food production and nourish families throughout the country,” says Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani.
An investment in dairy production
This new investment in New York’s Mohawk Valley comes after Chobani announced a $500 million expansion in Twin Falls, Idaho, just last month, and marks the company’s third dairy processing plant in the U.S.
The 1.4 million-sq.-ft. facility will create more than 1,000 full-time jobs with competitive wages and benefits, as well as access to onsite health and wellness amenities. It will have the capacity to produce over 1 billion pounds of dairy products per year across up to 28 production lines.
The company is already one of the largest buyers of raw milk in the state, purchasing over a billion pounds of raw milk from dairy farmers across the state each year. When the plant reaches full capacity, that statistic will increase to an estimated 6 billion pounds of raw milk per year, strengthening the state’s dairy industry.
Dairy processing plant supporting New York’s manufacturing sector
Chobani’s investment will transform a 150-acre stretch of open land, once home to the Griffiss Air Force Base, into a hub of food production to help the company meet product demand and develop innovations.
“Chobani has been a major employer in the Mohawk Valley for decades, and this massive new $1.2 billion investment will bring more than 1,000 good-paying jobs to Oneida County – the largest natural food manufacturing investment in American history,” says Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York. “When I took office, I pledged to make New York the most worker-friendly and business-friendly state in the nation, and projects like this one show our strategy is working.”
Chobani plans for its new facility to not operate as a standalone operation, but rather include partnerships with local farmers, businesses, colleges and universities, government leaders, entrepreneurs, and community organizations. It hopes to drive new thinking, train workers for high-skilled labor, and fuel economic opportunity to transform the region.
“New York is where Chobani’s journey began. It was the perfect spot to start Chobani 20 years ago, and it’s the perfect place to continue our story,” says Ulukaya. “When you invest in people, in local communities, you’re not just building a business—you’re building a future.”
