Adams, NY - Farmers throughout Central New York are sending their milk to a newly expanded Great Lakes Cheese Co. plant in Adams, Jefferson County. A grand opening ceremony was conducted Saturday for the plant, which has doubled its capacity with the expansion. More than 13 new jobs also have been created. Jay Matteson, executive director of the Jefferson County...
Adams, NY - Farmers throughout Central New York are sending their milk to a newly expanded Great Lakes Cheese Co. plant in Adams, Jefferson County.
A grand opening ceremony was conducted Saturday for the plant, which has doubled its capacity with the expansion. More than 13 new jobs also have been created.
Jay Matteson, executive director of the Jefferson County Agricultural Economic Development Corp., said the new manufacturing plant cost more than $80 million to construct and represents the largest new dairy manufacturing plant construction in New York state in decades.
The plant will take in more than 800,000,000 pounds of milk (that’s nearly 69 million gallons) per year — the amount produced by 40,000 cows. The plant takes in milk from farmers in parts of Oswego, Cayuga, Onondaga, Madison, Oneida, Herkimer and St. Lawrence and nearly all of Jefferson and Lewis counties.
The total economic impact of the project throughout the milkshed area is more than $600 million per year.
A ceremony and ribbon cutting for the plant took place Saturday following by the community’s first Cheddar Cheese Festival including cheese, wine and food for all kinds, plus entertainment for children. Organizers hope to make it an annual event.
Great Lakes Cheese makes naturally aged cheddar cheese in the Adams facility. This cheese is sold to retailers and sold as store brand cheese. Anyone who buys Price Chopper or Hannaford brand New York state cheddar is buying cheese made at the Adams plant from local milk.
Great Lakes Cheese has won many world and national competitions.
Contact Debra J. Groom at dgroom@syracuse.com, 470-3254 or 251-5586