July 16, 2020

Byrne Dairy eyes US$28-million dairy plant expansion

 

 

Byrne Dairy is planning another expansion in its Ultra Dairy facility in DeWitt town in New York, creating 64 jobs and being able to produce dairy products with an unrefrigerated shelf life of up to one year, Syracuse reported.

 

Byrne has submitted plans to the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency for a 22,000-square-foot addition to the south side of its 138,000-square-foot facility at 6750 W. Benedict Road.

 

The US$28.5 million project will create 64 full-time jobs paying from US$37,000 to US$54,000 a year, according to the plans. The facility employs 198 people, so the project will expand its workforce to 262.

 

James Gosier, Byrne's general counsel, said the company will start construction this year and complete the addition in March 2021. Nearly US$17 million of the US$28.5 million cost is for equipment, he said.

 

Opened in 2003, Ultra Dairy uses ultra-high temperatures to produce milk, cream and non-dairy products with shelf lives from 70 to 180 days. According to the company, 92% of the plant's products are shipped out of New York for wholesale and retail sale.

 

Byrne said the addition will create an "aseptic" processing area where dairy products and packaging will be sterilised to give the products a shelf life of up to one year without refrigeration.

 

"This advanced technology results in products that can be shipped across the United States and around the world," the company said. "The ability to manufacture these products is particularly important in times like these when supply chains are stressed."

 

Gosier said consumer demand for dairy products with a long, unrefrigerated shelf life has been increasing in the US—it is already common elsewhere in the world—and the trend in the US has grown substantially during the coronavirus pandemic as more people buy their groceries online.

 

"That's all you see in other parts of the world—shelf-stable products," he said. "Put it in your pantry for up to a year. When you're ready to use the product, you put it in your refrigerator and off you go."

 

This will be the fourth expansion of the facility. Previous additions were built in 2007, 2008 and 2019.

 

The company has applied for US$224,336 in property tax exemptions and a US$400,000 exemption from sales taxes on construction materials. The development agency is expected to vote on the exemptions at a special meeting on July 28.

 

The project is eligible for a US$750,000 state grant and US$4.25 million in state tax credits, according to the company.