Cayuga Milk Ingredients (CMI), in collaboration with Tetra Pak, announced the grand opening of CMI’s expanded facility in Auburn, Cayuga County, N.Y., as part of a two-phase, multimillion-dollar expansion and investment in New York state.

The ribbon-cutting event, aligned with June’s National Dairy Month, featured a host of local and state leaders and was also attended by key dairy industry groups, including New York Farm Bureau, New York Animal Agriculture Coalition, Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance, and the Northeast Dairy Producers Association.  

CMI produces 1.5 billion pounds of milk annually on 65,000 acres of fertile land. The company is owned and operated by 22 farm families with 32 farm locations in the Finger Lakes region of New York state, with a dairy ingredients portfolio that includes milk powders, protein powders and fluid milk products. With the addition of its new consumer goods dairy plant, CMI is positioning itself as a vertically integrated, premium contract manufacturing solution for fast-growing, value-added dairy products, with a commitment to maximizing their nutritional impact while minimizing environmental impact.

“Shelf-stable innovation continues to redefine what's possible in food and beverage,” said Mat Rutz, VP of contract manufacturing for Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada. “Working with companies like CMI to expand their portfolio by providing innovative processing and packaging solutions for their products is energizing. We’re proud to continue driving this bold new chapter for our industry with sustainable growth in mind.” 

Tetra Pak and CMI share a deep commitment to sustainability and reducing environmental impact across the food and beverage industry. Through this plant expansion, which was supported by incentives from the state, the companies are advancing shelf-stable packaging solutions that offer cost savings and production efficiencies, while reducing food waste and minimizing the environmental impact of the transportation and storage of food and beverage products.