Cheese plant to expand, add jobs
Feb. 23, 2018
The Agropur cheese manufacturing facility in Lake Norden is expanding.
Details will be announced Feb. 27 at a formal groundbreaking that includes Gov. Dennis Daugaard. Initial work on the project started late last year.
The expansion is expected to be completed next year and “will increase jobs and production at the plant, allowing the company to market its Lake Norden cheese and whey products to companies all over the world,” according to a company statement.
Information posted by the project’s contractor, Miran, puts the addition at 190,000 square feet, wtih an expanded area for cheese production, milk receiving, whey processing and employee space.
Agropur is the community’s largest employer, with a staff of about 180. The community’s slogan is “Cheese is our Whey.”
Canada-based Agropur Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Agropur Cooperative, which is a North American dairy company founded in 1938. With sales of $6 billion in 2016, Agropur processes more than 13 billion pounds of milk per year at its 39 plants across North America.