Oregon-based Tillamook County Creamery Association is opening an ice cream manufacturing facility in Decatur, Illinois, according to a March 21 press release.
The site will be the company’s only facility outside Oregon and specifically dedicated to producing ice cream, as opposed to its existing sites focused on cheese production in Tillamook and Boardman, Oregon. The company expects the new plant to come online late next year.
Tillamook is buying the site from fellow ice cream production company Prairie Farms. It will spend $50 million to update the facility and acquire adjacent property for future expansion, according to a press release from the city of Decatur.
“Our investments will include structural updates, aesthetic improvements, food safety standard improvements, employee welfare enhancements and extensive line upgrades,” Mike Bever, EVP of operations, told Manufacturing Dive in an email.
The facility spans an estimated 57,000 square feet of production space, and over 22,000 square feet of freezer warehouse space, according to Bever. He also said the plant will manufacture 12 to 15 million gallons of ice cream a year, which Tillamook will scale up over the next few years.
Tillamook currently makes its ice cream at its manufacturing facility in Tillamook, as well as through manufacturing partners around the country, Bever said.
“The recipes for Tillamook products remain the same across all operations, and our Tillamook quality assurance and sensory teams ensure all our products meet the high quality standards our fans expect,” Bever said in an email.
The Illinois location will allow Tillamook to produce more of its ice cream closer to the eastern U.S., where sales have increased nearly 60%, Bever said in a statement.
Former site owner Prairie Farms closed its operations in January, with plans to shift its work to another production location, according to the Associated Press.
Tillamook’s new facility is expected to create 45 roles, including ice cream mixers, quality control employees, forklift operators, maintenance and local management jobs, Bever said. The company will begin recruiting later this year and in early 2024.
Other food manufacturers are also expanding in the state. Tyson Foods is investing $180 million to expand its plant in Caseyville, Illinois, which is still under construction.