Chobani's New Twin Falls, Idaho Plant Named "Plant Of The Year" By Food Engineering

TWIN FALLS, Idaho, April 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Chobani, maker of America's No. 1 selling yogurt brand, was honored with Food Engineering's 'Plant of the Year' award for its state-of-the-art facility in Twin Falls, Idaho. Opened on December 17, 2012, the Twin Falls facility was built in just 326 days following a $450 million investment. At nearly one million square feet, the Twin Falls plant is the largest yogurt manufacturing facility in the world, and its construction solidifies Chobani's commitment to manufacturing and revolutionizing the food industry in America.

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The Food Engineering award celebrates the most innovative new food or beverage plant built in North America each year. Chobani broke ground on the 200-acre site in December 2011, and phases one and two of the project were completed in an unprecedented 326 days, thanks to the hard work and dedication of over 2,000 men and women who put in over 1.7 million man hours to build the plant from the ground up using the Design-Build construction process to expedite the project.

"At Chobani, we're committed to craftsmanship and innovation, which is truly embodied by our Twin Falls plant. We're honored to have been named 'Plant of the Year' by Food Engineering, as the award is a true testament to our hardworking employees, vendors and community members who helped us bring our dream to life," said Marc Abjean, senior vice president, global engineering and project management. Abjean accepted the award on Chobani's behalf at the Food Automation and Manufacturing Conference on Tuesday.

Growing demand for Chobani Greek Yogurt and desire to bring new product innovations to market led Chobani to build the plant on an accelerated timeline. Projects of its scale and complexity have a standard construction cycle of over two years. No other yogurt plant compares to the Twin Falls facility in size, scale, technology, flexibility and efficiency.

"It's like we always say—if you want to make it in America, make it in America," said Hamdi Ulukaya, president, founder and CEO of Chobani. "Our $450 million Twin Falls plant underscores our commitment to investing in American manufacturing and will help us bring consumers even more ways to enjoy delicious authentic yogurt."

As Chobani continues to grow, so does the Twin Falls plant. The facility is sized to accommodate 14 production lines, 11 million pounds of milk daily, and with infrastructure for future expansion.

Shambaugh & Son, L.P. acted as the prime Design-Build contractor; Tippmann Group was the building contractor; and Boccard provided process, machinery, automation and integration of all process equipment.

About Chobani
Maker of America's No. 1 selling yogurt brand, authentic strained Chobani Greek Yogurt, Chobani was founded on the belief that people have great taste, they just need great options. That is why Chobani produces only the highest quality, best tasting products made with only natural ingredients out of its New Berlin, N.Y. plant and its new one million square-foot production facility in Twin Falls, Idaho. As part of Chobani's nothing but good philosophy, it is committed to supporting local farmers and strengthening its surrounding area economies. Chobani uses milk from local-area farms and gives 10 percent of its annual profits to charities worldwide through the Shepherd's Gift Foundation, the company's charitable arm. All Chobani products are Kosher certified, made with milk from cows not treated with rBST and provide five live and active cultures and two times more protein than regular yogurt per serving. Chobani products are available nationwide, and in Australia and the UK. Chobani is pleased to offer consumers a variety of nothing but good products: Chobani Greek Yogurt, Chobani Bite, Chobani Flip and Chobani Champions. For more information, please visit chobani.com or connect with Chobani on Facebook at facebook.com/chobani. 

SOURCE Chobani