Inside the yogurt plant: Chobani looms large in Magic Valley
The Greek yogurt company has created the largest yogurt making facility in the world in Twin Falls, Idaho. Its presence there has created other food-related jobs and has left a positive mark on its community.
In 2016, to accommodate its growth, Norwich, N.Y.-based Chobani invested $100 million to complete a 300,000-square-foot expansion to its manufacturing facility in Twin Falls, Idaho. Now totally 1,000,000 square feet, the plant (which opened in 2013) is said to be the largest yogurt manufacturing facility in the world. The company also has plants in South Edmeston, N.Y. and Dandenong, Australia (which supplies yogurt to that country).
I visited the plant in March. Before ever setting foot in the plant, I could see from the road that the scope and size of the facility was overwhelming. The expansive white building (with its large American flag painted on the far right side) dominates the skyline, even with the mountain view in the distance. The plant is surrounded by mostly open fields and grass, though Clif Bar & Co. is now a nearby neighbor.