The Coca-Cola Company will build its new fairlife production facility in Monroe County. The 745,000-square-foot facility is expected to create up to 250 new jobs and be built on the property on Tebor Road in the Town of Webster. The company expects to break ground on the project sometime this fall, subject to appropriate approvals and final diligence, with the facility slated to be operational by Q4 of 2025. The total project investment has been estimated at $650 million.
Founded in 2012, fairlife has designed a line of products that are made through an ultra-filtered milk process that removes the lactose and much of the sugar and leaves behind more of the protein and calcium. The company offers a wide range of products including fairlife® ultra-filtered milk, Core Power® protein shakes, and fairlife® Nutrition Plan® meal replacement shakes. The Coca-Cola Company has been a strategic partner to fairlife since it was launched in 2012 through the company’s ultimate acquisition of it in 2020.
fairlife Chief Executive Officer Tim Doelman said, “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. 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.”
Empire State Development is providing up to $21 million in assistance for the project through the performance-based Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit Program in exchange for the job creation commitments. Additionally, the Monroe County IDA is expected to apply to ESD for a $20 million Capital Grant so that they can work to provide adequate power and other related infrastructure costs to service the site. The NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency, the Town of Webster, Rochester Gas and Electric, and Greater Rochester Enterprise were additionally instrumental in bringing the company to New York State. According to the state, the company selected New York due to the “invaluable assistance of these committed stakeholders, and to its world-renowned reputation as an agribusiness global leader with an unparalleled, innovative dairy community.”
The research for fairlife’s® branded milk process using state-of-the-art ultrafiltration originated at Cornell University over a decade ago. Unique to fairlife®, the ultrafiltration process gives their milk a longer shelf life and creates a product with less sugar, more protein and more calcium over conventional milk for sale in the marketplace. Expected utilization is equal to an estimated 5 million pounds of locally sourced milk per day, making it the largest dairy plant in the Northeast and positions New York to regain its position as the 3rd largest producer of milk in the U.S.
“This decision by fairlife to expand their operations in Monroe County marks the next chapter in New York’s agricultural success story,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “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 drive economic impact, particularly in the Finger Lakes. We were in tough competition with other states for what will be the largest dairy processing plant in the Northeast and this decision, which comes on the heels of investments from major companies like Micron and Li-Cycle, confirms that New York continues to offer a competitive business environment. 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.”
