arizona to see construction of large milk production facility

A company that has won a national reputation for its filtrated milk has announced plans to build a 300,000 square foot production and distribution plant in Goodyear, Arizona.

The project will go up inside the city’s thriving 1,600-acre Palm Valley 303 Business Park.

The Chicago-based Fairlife LLC, founded in 2012, produces a number of popular dairy-based products that are distributed by the Coca Cola Company.

With an existing production facility in Coopersville, Michigan, the company has become known for its popular Core Power beverage, which is marketed to appeal to athletes; as well as the chocolate drink Fairlife Yup! and Fairlife Smart Snacks with Honey and Oats, among other offerings.

The company, processing milk through a series of filters that removes 99 percent of the lactose, produces a product that also has 50 percent less sugar than regular milk, but substantially more calcium and protein.

With annual revenues in excess of $100 million, Fairlife has in recent months been engaged in an effort to not just to find a location for its new plant, but to enter into partnerships with area diary farms that understand its ethic.

In a statement, Tim Doelman, chief operating officer for the company, said Fairlife settled on the Goodyear area because it has farms that are “willing to follow Fairlife’s responsible animal care and sustainable farming practices, while producing the highest quality milk.”

Work on what will ultimately be a $200 million facility is expected to begin later this year with an anticipated late 2020 completion date.

By Garry Boulard

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