JEROME, IDAHO – Idaho Milk Products celebrated the completion of the $30 million expansion and new R&D facility that began in October 2018 with a ribbon-cutting on September 20, 2019. Speakers included Idaho Milk Products’ CEO Daragh Maccabee, Rick Onaindia and Russell Visser representing the owner group, City of Jerome Mayor Dave Davis and Jerome City Administrator Mike Williams and VP of Research and Development, Dr. Chenchaiah Marella. Tours of the new R&D facility were available to the general public.
“We are very pleased to reach the end of a multi-faceted $30m plus project that has been ongoing for the last year,” commented CEO Daragh Maccabee. “We have increased our capacity by a third, invested in new equipment and automation, expanded our warehouse, upgraded our people facilities and made a step change commitment to innovation and product development. The various aspects of the project speak to all the things that we try to do better every day – maximizing our efficiency and throughput, striving to create and maintain a world-class organization, being relevant to our customers and the markets we operate in and all with sustainability in mind. All who contributed along the way can be proud of the achievements in the first decade and all of us here today are excited at the potential for the next one.”
The expansion took 266 days and 57,220 man-hours to complete. With its completion, Idaho Milk Products will be able to process an additional 1 million lbs. of milk per day, resulting in a faster turnaround to keep up with customer demands.
“I’m very thankful the ownership group had the vision to invest in this expansion in southern Idaho,” said Joe Henry, VP of Sales and Marketing. “This expansion allows us to serve the growing needs of our customers for years to come. Idaho Milk Products is a world-class organization and I’m very excited and welcome the 25 new hires who have joined our family.”
The new R&D facility includes an impressive list of equipment, with the ability to work on and test Ready-To-Drink beverages, yogurts, Ready-To-Mix products, ice cream, protein bars, retort processing and more. With this addition, Idaho Milk Products will be able to offer the highest level of formulating possibilities to meet customer needs and keep up with product trends.
“At Idaho Milk Products we have a strong belief in science-based innovation. With our optimal, proprietary and cold loop temperature controlled processes we are able to produce award-winning world-class milk ingredients,” explains Dr. Chenchaiah Marella, VP of Research & Product Development. “To continue our investment in innovation we have added new processes and a state-of-the-art pilot plant. This represents a step change in our customer collaboration and new product development capabilities enabling us to provide technical support and application assistance in a timely manner, and with increased levels of confidence and credibility.”
About Idaho Milk Products
Idaho Milk Products is a privately held, vertically integrated international milk processing leader, supplying Milk Protein Concentrate (MPC), Milk Permeate, and Cream derivatives to customers around the globe. Owned by local Idaho dairy farmers, Idaho Milk Products has a dedicated consistent milk supply and delivers reliable, quality dairy ingredients. For more information, visit idahomilkproducts.com.
