mozzarella production facility in roswell to expand

The world’s largest maker of mozzarella cheese is in the planning stages of a project to build a $15 million expansion to its Roswell, New Mexico plant.

Founded in 1950, the Denver-based Leprino Foods enjoys annual revenues in excess of $3 billion and has production facilities in California, Colorado, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania.

The company is not only known for its mozzarella offerings, but also for its production of cheddar cheese, provolone, and Monterey jack, all of which are used by frozen food manufacturers and pizzeria operations.

Leprino acquired the former American Milk Producers plant on the southeast side of Roswell in 1993, eventually nearly tripling the original 120,000 square footage of the structure.

Now the company wants to expand its facilities once again. To that end, it has received $200,000 in Local Economic Development Act funding from the New Mexico Economic Development.

Leprino’s Roswell expansion, said Economic Development Director Matt Giesel in a statement, is an example of “what’s possible when businesses know they’re welcome here.”

Also in a statement, Robert Tuttrep, general manager of the Leprino plant in Roswell, noted the company’s connection to area agriculture, pointing out its “close proximity to the dedicated farmers who supply the high quality milk that is the chief ingredient in our products.”

The Leprino facility uses advanced recycling practices allowing for all the water used in the plant to be treated for irrigation purposes on nearby cropland where the feed is grown for local livestock.

By Garry Boulard

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