fairlife and The Coca‑Cola Company have ceremonially broken ground on a new state-of-the-art fairlife production facility in the Town of Webster, New York.
Jennifer Mann, EVP and President of Coca‑Cola’s North America Operating Unit, and Tim Doelman, CEO of fairlife, were joined by New York Governor Kathy Hochul to commemorate the exciting milestone. County Executive Adam Bello, Webster Town Supervisor Tom Flaherty, and other elected officials and local leaders were also in attendance to celebrate fairlife’s official arrival to the town.
“We are thrilled to be laying the foundation for fairlife’s next phase of growth as we begin construction of the Webster facility, enabling greater distribution of our products in the Northeast and across the country,” said Tim Doelman, CEO of fairlife. “We are grateful for the collaboration and support we have received from the town of Webster throughout this process and continue to value our growing partnership with the Webster community.”
The dairy industry is a vital economic driver for New York state and represents its leading agricultural sector. The Town of Webster was strategically chosen by The Coca‑Cola Company and fairlife teams for its proximity to the state’s best-in-class dairy co-operatives in the Rochester and Niagara regions.
“New York State is one of the best places in the country to build a business. We’re proud to welcome The Coca‑Cola Company and fairlife’s dairy production facility, which represents a $650 million investment in Monroe County,” said Governor Hochul. “Coming from a family of Irish dairy farmers, this is personal to me — and soon, it will be personal to thousands of Finger Lakes residents who will have access to jobs and economic opportunity. I’m committed to making strategic investments in New York’s agribusinesses to secure our place as one of the top dairy producers in the nation, create good manufacturing jobs, and move our state’s economy forward.”
Announced in May 2023, the new facility will serve as fairlife’s flagship Northeast location. The facility represents a $650 million investment into the region and is expected to generate approximately 250 jobs in the greater Webster, New York, area.
“Breaking ground on the new fairlife facility here in Webster marks an important milestone for The Coca‑Cola Company’s presence in New York,” said Jennifer Mann, EVP and President, North America Operating Unit, The Coca-Company. “The facility will build upon our strong legacy of economic impact in the state, adding competitive jobs and further bolstering economic vitality for New Yorkers.”
According to a recently released Economic Impact Study, the Coca‑Cola system collectively contributes $2.6 billion to New York’s economy and supports over 28,000 jobs statewide. The system purchases approximately $1.3 billion in goods and services from New York partners and vendors.
Upon completion, the fairlife production facility will span 745,000 square feet and will stand on a lot of approximately 110 acres. The facility will take in five to six million pounds of milk per day from local dairy farmers, which will help support ongoing local dairy farm jobs.
The new facility will be optimized for sustainability, utilizing improved efficiencies, new hardware, and better monitoring that will together lessen its environmental footprint. Specifically, the Webster facility will have technology that uses stormwater for irrigation and cooling; electric vehicle chargers and designated parking spaces; LED intelligent control lighting with clock times, delay timers, photocells, and occupancy sensors; and automatic conveyors and HVAC systems that switch off when not in use.
The production facility is anticipated to be operational starting in Q4 2025.
fairlife launched in 2012 with the belief that milk and its natural health benefits can be made even better. Today, the company leverages ultra-filtration to create great-tasting products that nourish consumers and fit into their modern lifestyles. With more than $1 billion in annual retail sales, fairlife offers a wide range of products including fairlife® ultra-filtered milk, Core Power® protein shakes, and fairlife® Nutrition Plan® meal replacement shakes.
The Coca‑Cola Company has been a strategic partner to fairlife since it was launched in 2012, culminating with the company’s ultimate acquisition of fairlife in 2020. This proposed facility represents its ongoing investment in the continued growth of fairlife.
Source: Coco-Cola Company