Coca-Cola Company to build new dairy production facility in Webster. Here's how many jobs could be created
The Coca-Cola Company has selected a site in the town of Webster for its new dairy production facility. The 745,000-square-foot facility is expected to create up to 250 new jobs and be built on property on Tebor Road, just north of Route 104 near the Monroe County border.
Here's what we know about the project.
What products will be made at the new site?
The new facility will be operated by Fairlife, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola that produces a variety of milk-based beverages.
Its products are made through an ultra-filtered milk process that removes the lactose and much of the sugar and leaves behind more of the protein and calcium.
The company's products include Fairlife ultra-filtered milk, Core Power protein shakes, and Fairlife Nutrition Plan meal replacement shakes.
Fairlife was founded in 2012 and acquired by Coca-Cola in 2020.
When will this new facility open?
The company expects to break ground on the project sometime in the fall of 2023, subject to appropriate approvals and final diligence. Construction and other preparations are expected to take about two years, with the facility slated to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2025.
Assemblymember Brian Manktelow, whose district includes Webster, said that when the new facility opens, it will help boost other businesses as well.
"Beyond the new 250 jobs in the production facility, we will see an increased demand for local dairy production and transportation," Manktelow said
Why is this a big deal for the local dairy industry?
New York State has a thriving dairy industry, home to almost 3,500 farms and 630,000 cows. The addition of a new production facility of this magnitude reflects one of the goals Gov. Kathy Hochul set in her 2023 State of the State speech, to address the need for additional agricultural processing capacity to help alleviate the gaps in the supply chain.
"We were in tough competition with other states for what will be the largest dairy processing plant in the Northeast and this decision... confirms that New York continues to offer a competitive business environment," Hochul said in a statement.
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said the new plant was tremendous news for the state's dairy industry, which is New York's largest agricultural economic driver.
"Today's announcement highlights the world-class excellence of our dairy community whose farmers will be supplying milk to this state-of-the-art processing facility," Ball said.
How much milk are we talking about?
According to a press release, the expected utilization is equal to an estimated 5 million pounds of locally sourced milk per day. This would make the new Webster facility the largest dairy plant in the Northeast. This volume would allow New York to regain its position as the 3rd largest producer of milk in the United States.
Fairlife CEO Tim Doelman said Webster's proximity and access to best-in-class dairy farmers make it an excellent location to support the company's growth.
"Consumer demand for Fairlife products is at an all-time high, and a new production facility will allow us to significantly increase capacity and deliver Fairlife to even more households across the country."
Who's paying for the project?
Fairliife will invest $650 million into the development of the site, according to a press release announcing the project.
Empire State Development is providing up to $21 million in assistance for the project through the performance-based Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit Program in exchange for the job creation commitments. Additionally, the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency is expected to apply to ESD for a $20 million Capital Grant so that they can work to provide adequate power and other related infrastructure costs to service the site.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Coca-Cola Company to build new dairy production facility in Webster NY
