A ceremonial groundbreaking today in Boone for a plant that will produce Daisy Brand sour cream and cottage cheese. The $676 million project will eventually employ over 250 people.
“It is our most ambitious project yet,” said Ben Sokolsky, president of Daisy Brand.
Milk for the plant will come exclusively from Marshall Ridge Farms in nearby State Center, one of the largest dairy farms in Iowa. It will add 7000 cows to its milking operation by the time the Daisy plant in Boone opens in late 2028 or early 2029. “Without milk, none of this would be possible, so that’s pretty important,” Sokolsky said at a luncheon today in Boone.
Dan Culhane, president and CEO of the Ames Regional Alliance, was the event’s host. “While economic development occurs every day in our communities, it doesn’t always come together to this magnitude,” Culhane said. “And so that’s what we’re really celebrating today.”
Boone Mayor Elijah Stines called it a transformative project. “One that will not only reshape the economic landscape of Boone, but the entire region,” Stines said. “…The future of Daisy Brands, the City of Boone and the State of Iowa is all brighter because of this investment.”
Governor Kim Reynolds said many groups and individuals get credit for making the deal with Daisy possible — including local leaders, state agencies and the private sector. “This nearly $700 million investment isn’t just a number. It represents real opportunity. It means hundreds of new jobs, it means an expanded tax base, it means new momentum for local businesses, schools and family farms,” Reynolds said “It simulates construction with plans for housing and hospitality projects already underway.”
Daisy Brand currently has plants in Texas, Arizona and Ohio.
“Today is a heaping dollop of good news and we can all be excited about that,” State Ag Secretary Mike Naig said, prompting laughter from the crowd as he recited a line from a Daisy sour cream commercial.
Over one of every two cups of sour cream sold in the United States is Daisy Brand sour cream and the company’s president indicated there was significant growth in Daisy Brand cottage cheese sales last year. 2024 data from the retail food industry shows the sale of all brands of cottage cheese rose 16%.
The State of Iowa has provided a $7 million package of economic development incentives for the Boone plant. The Iowa DOT is providing $3 million to extend roads, install a traffic signal and create a roundabout on Highway 30 near the plant site. The city will cover the remaining $750,000 cost of road improvements to accommodate truck traffic in and out of the Daisy Brand plant.
Source: RadioIowa
