Dive Brief:
- Ireland-based Glanbia plc and its U.S. joint venture partners are in advanced discussions to expand the jointly owned Southwest Cheese Company in Clovis, NM. The $140 million expansion is expected to take two years, raise milk-processing capacity by almost 30%, and create 50 more jobs.
- Southwest Cheese Company is a joint venture between Glanbia and dairy cooperatives of the Greater Southwest Agency, including Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and Select Milk Producers. Glanbia owns 50% of Southwest Cheese, with DFA and Select Milk Producers owning most of the other 50%.
- Southwest Cheese Company is a cheese and whey production plant that currently employs over 380 people and processes over 220 truckloads of milk each day. The company is the largest single site manufacturer of premium quality 40-pound and 640-pound block cheese and whey protein powders, according to a news release.
Dive Insight:
Glanbia plc also owns Glanbia Foods, Inc., headquartered in Twin Falls, Idaho, which has two processing cheese plants and two whey processing plants in Idaho. These facilities process more than 12 million pounds of milk a day, resulting in over 400 million pounds of cheese and 110 million pounds of dairy ingredients each year.
According to the 2015 Glanbia US Cheese 2015 Sustainability Report, "Southwest Cheese’s Total Water Consumption is about 77% lower than our Idaho facilities, primarily due to newer technology in the processing facilities, fewer product changeovers, and less water-intensive products."