Bongards Creameries, a national cheese and whey manufacturer, announced a $125M investment in its Perham, Minn., plant.

The expansion will increase overall plant capacity to 5.5 million pounds of milk per day, an increase of 30%. Bongards previously completed a significant expansion of the Perham plant’s capacity in 2015, expanded warehouse capacity in 2022, and replaced the existing cheese vats and evaporator in 2023.

“With this latest investment, we will be able to continue supporting the growth of our business, allow our current farmer-owners to expand, and allow us to bring on new members,” said Daryl Larson, Bongards CEO. “In order to increase our milk intake by nearly a third, many aspects of the production process need to be expanded.”

The investment includes expansion of the milk intake bays, cheese packaging equipment, whey drying and packaging equipment, whey warehousing, and wastewater treatment. Major work on the project is expected to commence in July 2023 and be completed in June 2025.

Construction is being completed by local Perham contractors.