The Coca-Cola Company has announced its plans to build a new fairlife production facility located in Webster, New York. This comes on the heels of the company’s plans for continued expansion into the Northeast market.
According to Coca-Cola, the new 100-acre facility will be located in the Town of Webster, just outside of Rochester, New York, and is expected to source from local milk co-operatives to produce fairlife’s high-quality, dairy-based beverages before distributing them to retailers across the region.
“Consumer demand for fairlife products is at an all-time high, and a new production facility will allow us to significantly increase capacity and deliver fairlife to even more households across the country,” says Tim Doelman, fairlife CEO, in a press release. “As we continue to grow in the Northeast, Webster’s proximity and access to best-in-class dairy farmers make it an excellent location to support our next phase of growth in the region and beyond. We are sincerely grateful for the collaboration from Governor Hochul and her administration throughout this process.”
As one of the top dairy states in the nation, dairy is New York’s largest agricultural industry. The Town of Webster is well situated between high-quality dairy cooperatives in the Rochester and Niagara regions, with a surrounding workforce that has the relevant manufacturing and food and beverage experience, making it the ideal location for fairlife’s expansion, according to Coca-Cola.
“This decision by fairlife to expand their operations in Monroe County marks the next chapter in New York’s agricultural success story,” New York’s Governor Hochul says in the release. “New York’s dairy industry serves as a crucial economic engine for our state, and this $650 million investment from fairlife will create jobs and economic impact, particularly in the Finger Lakes. Coming from a family of dairy farmers in Ireland, I am proud to have secured this major opportunity to position our state as one of the nation’s top dairy producers.”
Groundbreaking and construction of the new facility are expected to begin in Q4 2023, following due diligence and appropriate approvals. The facility is anticipated to be operational beginning in Q4 2025.
