Buffalo is seeing the bulk of Lactalis USA’s expansion with $60 million going into upgrades at its sprawling South Park Avenue cheese campus, where 750 people work, and 50 more could be added. Erie County Industrial Development Agency CEO John Cappellino says the continued investment is a great sign for the region.
“Advanced Manufacturing in food is one of our targets,” Cappellino said. “We have a lot of food processing and agriculture processing businesses here in the region, and Lactalis is a great example of that.”
Lactalis produces more than 280 million pounds annually of various cheese products, including the Galbani brand. The expansion will see the annual output increase by 37 million pounds.
“It secures their future in Buffalo, it also makes them more efficient, and they can sell more product,” Cappellino said. “They can hire more people and become engines of economic growth in the region.”
Between 2020 and 2027, the French-based Lactalis will be investing north of $123 million in its Buffalo operations. The expansion work is currently underway and should be completed later this year.
