Chobani, LLC, Norwich, N.Y., announced plans to expand its yogurt manufacturing facility in Twin Falls, Idaho, which will be used to drive continued growth in the region, the state and the community and expand production capability to meet demand for new and existing products.

The expansion will include:

• Purchase and conversion of three production lines for Chobani Flip products. 
• Purchase of a new production line and a new bulk production line for foodservice opportunities to drive further growth in schools, hotels, airlines and restaurants.
• Purchase of new equipment for new adjacent categories like Chobani Meze dips and yogurt drinks (see Refrigerated & Frozen Foods' May 2016 issue).

"Building the largest yogurt manufacturing plant in the world and expanding it three years later is a really proud moment for us and an example of how right it was to pick Idaho as our second home," says Hamdi Ulukaya, chairman and CEO. "Our success in Idaho and New York is an example of the power and strength of U.S. manufacturing. To food companies like ours, it's a signal of the momentum of the food movement that we started—better food for more people."

Chobani commissioned its second domestic manufacturing facility in Twin Falls, Idaho, in 2013, making it what is said to be the largest yogurt manufacturing facility in the world. The company had previously invested more than $450 million to build the 1 million-square-foot, world-class operation. The initial construction was completed in an unprecedented 326 days, with more than 1.7 million man hours to build the state-of-the-art facility from the ground up. 

In addition to expansion plans in Twin Falls, the company is also exploring plans to expand its original plant in New Berlin, N.Y.