MWC is a new, world-class, highly-efficient dairy processing plant set to open in Fall 2020 in St. Johns Michigan. The 370,000 square foot plant is a joint venture between Glanbia Nutritionals, Dairy Farmers of America and Select Milk Producers. DFA and Select Milk are primarily responsible for supplying the milk while Glanbia’s primary focus is processing the milk and marketing the final products (cheese and whey).
The plant, when fully commissioned, will be among the largest cheese manufacturing plants in the U.S. and will process 8 million pounds of milk per day and will employ 260 people. From this nutrition-packed raw material, the plant will produce 800,000 pounds of cheese per day of cheese and 40,000 pounds of whey protein per day for the U.S. and international markets. Whey products will include whey protein isolate (WPI) and whey protein concentrate (WPC) 80.
Michigan boasts a diverse agricultural system with a strong milk supply with milk production in the state growing at a steady rate year on year. It has a rich heritage in dairy production with 1,800 dairy farm families producing 30m pounds of milk per day - 97% of Michigan dairy farms are family owned.
MWC is investing not only in the plant, but in the community, with a strong commitment to manage the business in an environmentally responsible manner while ensuring the safety of our employees, the environment and the surrounding communities. Thoughtful consideration was given to the engineering of the facility to ensure minimal impact on the environment and to efficiently recapture and reuse energy and resources such as heat, water and steam.
The MWC plant sets a new standard for scale, efficiency, sustainability and commitment to supporting local agriculture in Michigan. We are building on our ambition as the #1 producer of American Style Cheddar Cheese and #1 producer of whey-based nutritional ingredients.