Ornua has announced a major expansion of its Ornua Ingredients North America division with a $10 million investment upgrading its Hilbert, Wisconsin cheese ingredients operation.
The Kerrygold owner said that the expansion plans for Hilbert will add a further 22,000 square feet of warehousing and cooling infrastructure to the operation, unlocking an additional 30% growth in production capacity.
The largest exporter of Irish dairy products highlighted that 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.
“This latest round of investment is consistent with the investments made since Ornua acquired Thiel Cheese and it is a business that will see further investment over the coming years," said Bernard Condon, managing director of Ornua Ingredients.
"Hilbert is a core component of Ornua Ingredients North America’s ability to create value on behalf of our coop members and generations of Irish dairy farming families.”
'Functional Cheese Products'
The dairy cooperative also operates a cheese-making facility in Byron, Minnesota.
Ornua Ingredients' two North America operations specialise in producing 'customised, functional cheese products for major US food manufacturing and foodservice customers.'
The company said that last year the business supplied cheese for more than 50 million pizzas.
Construction of the site’s new infrastructure is being carried out by Wisconsin building firm Bayland Construction and is expected to be completed in February 2021, it added.
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