Colombian dairy producer Alpina announced it will open a yogurt plant in New York, the company’s first in the United States, Buffalo News reported Saturday.
The construction on the plant is to begin in August 2011, in Batavia in the west of New York state. The company expects to create 50 jobs when construction is completed in May 2012. Alpina, which launched its products into the U.S. market last year, is expected to invest $14 million in the new plant.
Alpina Foods LLC president Julian Jaramillo chose Batavia because of its proximity to local dairy producers and easy access to major markets in the Midwest and along the East Coast.
“We have waited for the right moment to make a decisive breakthrough in the northamerican market and we have found the ideal location to launch our strategic objectives” said Carlos Ramirez Zavarce, general manager of Alpina Foods LLC.
The company which has annual sales of almost $740 million also has nine other facilities in Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador.