GENESEE COUNTY, N.Y. — Gov. Hochul announced on Wednesday that a French company is expanding and setting up operations in New York State.
La Fermière is a family-owned company that produces French yogurt and desserts.
The company will set up shop at the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park in Batavia with a 45,000 square-foot manufacturing plant, with plans for more expansion.
"We're proud to welcome La Fermière to Genesee County, bringing jobs and opportunity to the Finger Lakes region," Governor Hochul said. "This investment shows that our bold economic recovery plan for the Finger Lakes is working, attracting new businesses and helping communities across the region grow and thrive."
According to the release, La Fermière is expected to bring up to 135 new jobs to the region. The company will utilize millions of pounds of milk provided by New York dairy farmers to create its globally renowned dairy products.
"We are very excited to launch this project of building our very first yogurt and dessert production facility in Batavia, New York. The great support of the state and GCEDC team really helped us in our decision. The Batavia site meets our main requirements for success: quality milk and large cream supply, logistics hub, and workforce availability. Being close to local farmers, at the heart of milk production, was key for us, as we will use up to 6 million gallons of milk every year. Our five-year presence in the U.S. market expanded beyond our expectations. This state-of-the-art facility will help us achieve our very ambitious goal in the U.S. market, which offers large opportunities by manufacturing the best all-natural yogurts and desserts, with innovative recipes and processes," La Fermière President and CEO Jean-Jacques Tarpinian said.
According to the news release, the company was founded in Marseille, France in 1952, and was purchased by Groupe Tarpinian in 2002. In the mid to late 2010s, La Fermière began working with a New York state-based co-packer in an effort to bring its sustainably packaged French yogurt to the U.S. market.
The company had considered site locations throughout the country for its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility but selected New York, thanks to the focused support from both the State and its regional economic development partners.
For more information about La Fermière click here.
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