NORTON SHORES, Mich. — A groundbreaking ceremony in Muskegon brought together neighbors, city officials, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya to celebrate a $567 million expansion of the La Colombe facility, one of the largest economic development projects in Muskegon County history.
WATCH: Chobani's La Colombe facility in Muskegon breaks ground on $567 million expansion project
The expansion will grow the facility from 40,000 square feet to around 200,000 square feet, roughly 5 times its current footprint.
"This expansion ensures that many more canned lattes and grocery stores across the country are made in Michigan by Michigan cows and Michigan workers," Whitmer said.
Whitmer adds the expansion will improve wastewater infrastructure in the surrounding community, and double the facilities workforce.
The facility currently employs 312 workers, with an average wage of $29.50 per hour.
Muskegon
Norton Shores workers celebrate Chobani's multi-million dollar expansion
The expansion will also dramatically increase the facility's production capacity. Last year, the facility could produce roughly 185,000 cases of coffee per week. When the expansion is complete, it will produce more than 1 million cases per week, which is a 450% increase.
The growth extends beyond the facility's walls, as the company will increase its purchase of milk from Michigan dairy farmers from 30 million pounds per year to 615 million pounds.
Whitmer highlighted Michigan's standing in dairy production.
"Michigan is first in the nation for milk production per cow, which means our cows literally work harder than any other cows out there," Whitmer said.
Michigan is also the second most agriculturally diverse state in the country and is ranked fourth in the country for regional workforce development, according to Whitmer.
U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten spoke at Tuesday's groundbreaking, saying the investment goes beyond coffee.
"Days like today remind me of what we do best. We build great things, and we invest in our future," Scholten said. “Here in West Michigan, we have never waited around for someone else to determine our future, and as your representative, I will continue to fight every day for policies that protect our community, our industries, and so that businesses like this can continue to grow and thrive.”
Muskegon
$567 million Chobani expansion expected to have historic Muskegon County impact
Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya says what drew him to Muskegon was the feeling of home.
"Every time I come and I spend time, whether it's cold or sunny, doesn't matter. I felt like this is a home, and it's really important for us to feel like we are part of the community," Ulukaya said. “What you're going to see here is one of the only factories in the country that coffee comes, and cans of coffee is going out. There will be no other people making anything. We will make everything here.”
Whitmer closed the ceremony with a message of gratitude.
"An expansion like this takes a lot of hard work, a lot of collaboration, and to all of our mutual success going forward, thank you and congratulations," Whitmer said.
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