Construction of the cheese plant, next to DFA’s Craigs Station Creamery ingredient plant, is expected to begin this autumn.
Arla’s decision to get into the U.S. Cheddar cheese business was driven by Americans’ cheese-buying habits. Fully 92% is bought from the dairy case, with 8% in the deli case. And Americans’ appetite for Cheddar is growing. The head of Arla Foods U.S. told Dairy Foods that the European dairy cooperative realized it needed to be in the dairy case with a Cheddar product.
It found a partner in Dairy Farmers of America, based in Kansas City, Mo. The two cooperatives announced today a joint venture to build a Cheddar cheese plant in Livingston County, N.Y., adjacent to DFA’s Craigs Station Creamery ingredient plant. Construction is expected to begin this autumn, with product to be ready a year later.