ROME, N.Y. — Chobani’s announcement that it will build a $1.2 billion manufacturing plant in Rome was a full-circle moment for the Greek yogurt maker, which got its start 20 years ago in an old Kraft manufacturing plant in South Edmeston (town of Edmeston).

During an April 22 groundbreaking event, Chobani Founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya recalled finding that first facility all those years ago and meeting with the 55 Kraft employees that would soon be out of a job when the plant closed.

He bought the Edmeston plant for $700,000 with just a vision that it could become something great, but work started small that summer when he and a few others painted the outside walls.

“Two years later after we painted those walls, we launched Chobani,” he recalled. Five years later, Chobani reached $1 billion in sales. “Where everybody saw broken walls, old equipment, smells that were unpleasant, I saw people.”

From its start at that factory in Edmeston, Chobani has grown into one of the top food producers and the nation’s largest yogurt brand. Chobani opened a factory in Idaho in 2012 and just expanded that facility earlier this year.

The new facility in Rome, at 1.4 million square feet, will house 28 production lines and will be the most advanced facility the company has ever built, Chobani COO Kevin Burns said. The project is spurred by a need for capacity, the need to be able to produce products also made in Idaho, and the need for new innovation.

Chobani planned to deliver the design package to Rome city planners following the groundbreaking event, Burns said. The project, which will create about 1,500 construction jobs, will reflect a true partnership between the company, Rome, Oneida County, the state, dairy farmers, and the area workforce, he added.

“We’re going to need everybody’s help to make this successful,” Burns said.

The new facility will be capable of producing more than 1 billion pounds of dairy products annually and create more than 1,000 jobs. When at full capacity, the plant will process more than 12 million pounds of milk per day. Chobani, which opened its first plant in New York in 2005, selected the Rome site after a nationwide search.

Rome Mayor Jeffery Lanigan noted that Chobani’s selection of the Triangle site in Griffiss Business and Technology Park was a direct result of the work done by former Mohawk Valley EDGE President Steven DiMeo, who passed away last year.

“We honor his legacy today and every day,” Lanigan said.

Oneida County invested more than $6 million and the state invested over $23 million through its FAST NY program to complete infrastructure and transportation improvements and other work to make the site shovel ready.

Empire State Development will provide Chobani with up to $73 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits to support the creation of more than 1,000 jobs at the new plant. Additionally, the company has pledged to collaborate with ESD to develop workforce training that aims to train and provide job opportunities at Chobani to underserved populations.

Chobani manufactures yogurt, oat milk, and creamers. Following the 2023 acquisition of coffee roaster La Colombe, the company began selling cold-pressed espresso and lattes on tap at cafes and retail ready-to-drink coffee beverages. Chobani manufactures its products in New York, Idaho, Michigan, and Australia, and its products are available throughout North American and distributed in Australia and other select markets.