Darigold’s Portland, Ore., plant is solving the puzzle
Producing over 150 SKUs, Darigold’s ultrapasteurized milk plant in Portland, Ore., has to stay flexible and organized to manage its complicated production schedules.
Some residents of Oregon’s largest city have sought to “Keep Portland Weird,” a motto based on safeguarding the city’s reputation for farmers markets, artisanal craftworks and an eccentric literary/arts scene. But before it became the de facto capital for millennial hipsters, Portland had a long history of industrial production.
Bordering the Willamette River — a short fixed-gear bike ride from downtown — is an industrial zone that includes the Portland plant of Darigold Inc., the Seattle-based corporate subsidiary of the Northwest Dairy Association cooperative (see Processor Profile). The 353,268-square-foot plant, which used to be operated by Mayflower Dairy, was built in 1944; Darigold took over the location in 1981. The age of the facility means the Portland plant staff is constantly finding ways to adapt it for contemporary production realities.