PepsiCo and Muller Group Open Muller Quaker Dairy Yogurt Manufacturing Facility
Muller Quaker Dairy, the joint venture between PepsiCo and the Theo Müller Group, has officially opened its new state-of-the-art yogurt manufacturing facility in Batavia, New York in the US. The new 350,000 square foot facility will produces approximately 120,000 cups per hour.
The new facility, which will employ approximately 180 people, will serve as a national production and distribution center for Muller yogurt, which launched in select regional markets in 2012.
“We have invested over many years to expand our global nutrition offerings in ways that allow us to capitalize on new growth opportunities, and the new Muller Quaker Dairy facility demonstrates continued progress against this key business priority,” says Indra Nooyi , chief executive of PepsiCo. “The Theo Muller Group is a tremendous partner whose deep dairy expertise has allowed our joint venture to enter the US market with a delicious product that our consumers absolutely love,!
“Expanding our brand from Europe to the US has been a long-time goal,” says Theo Muller, owner of Muller Group. “We are proud to partner with PepsiCo on this important business venture and we look forward to years of success in this country.”
As the fastest-growing dairy category in the US, yogurt is a $6.2 billion industry that continues to grow. Muller Quaker Dairy will help satisfy increasing demand for value-added dairy products in the US, where per capita consumption of yogurt is generally less than half that of Europe.
The new facility at Batavia will have three production lines initially. The facility can accommodate up to eight production lines with room for future expansion. The company is targeting LEED certification for the facility, which would make it the largest LEED-certified dairy manufacturing plant in the world.
The facility sits on 82-acres of land in what has become one of the most concentrated milk producing and processing regions in the country. Muller Quaker Dairy will source milk for the yogurt products locally. Products manufactured at the plant will include Muller Corner, Muller Greek Corner and Muller FrutUp varieties.
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US Senator Chuck Schumer joins PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi on a tour of the new facility.
