US – Family-owned French yogurt and desserts company, La Fermière has spread its wings to the US market with the construction of a 45,000 square-foot yogurt and dairy desserts production facility at Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park in Batavia.
La Fermière’s expansion has been partially funded by Empire State Development through performance-based Excelsior Jobs Tax Credits of US$1.35 million in exchange for job creation commitments.
Additionally, Greater Rochester Enterprise and Invest Buffalo Niagara are providing support for the company’s growth in New York State. The total cost of the project has been set at $25.8 million.
The company had considered site locations throughout the country for its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility but selected New York, thanks to the focused support from both the State and its regional economic development partners.
Moreover, the company chose the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park because it is the largest food and beverage greenfield in the northeastern U.S. to connect the region’s agricultural production, talent, and transportation networks.
The company intends to utilize millions of pounds of milk provided by New York dairy farmers to create its globally renowned dairy products and expects to be operational at the site by November of 2023.
La Fermière President and CEO Jean-Jacques Tarpinian, said, “We are very excited to launch this project of building our very first yogurt and dessert production facility in Batavia, New York. The great support of the state and GCEDC team really helped us in our decision.
The Batavia site meets our main requirements for success: quality milk and large cream supply, logistics hub, and workforce availability. Being close to local farmers, at the heart of milk production, was key for us, as we will use up to 6 million gallons of milk every year.”
La Fermière’s interest in the US market began in mid-2010 when it partnered with a New York state-based co-packer in an effort to bring its sustainably packaged French yogurt to the U.S. market.
Its success since 1952 when it was founded, has been accredited to the principle of developing innovative high-end dairy products, favoring traditional techniques and paying particular attention to the selection of simple and noble ingredients.
La Fermière belongs to the Tarpinian group, which specializes in the food industry since 2002. It is a registered member of the Dairy Product Manufacturing Industry and had an annual sale of about $51.89 million in 2020.
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