Ankeny, Iowa, Feb. 8, 2008 - Proliant Dairy Ingredients (Proliant), a Lauridsen Group Incorporated (LGI) company, and Melrose Dairy Proteins (MDP), have completed a contract under which Proliant will build a permeate processing facility next to MDP's cheese and protein plant in Melrose, Minn. The two organizations initially signed a letter of intent for the project in November 2007. In addition to permeate, also known as deproteinized whey, supplied by MDP, Proliant will process permeate from outside suppliers at the new Melrose facility. This agreement marks Proliant's exciting reentry into the dairy ingredients industry.
The Proliant facility will be capable of producing 70 million lbs. per year of high quality, deproteinized whey. Lori Stevenson, Proliant Dairy’s vice president of sales and marketing, will lead Proliant’s sales efforts. Deproteinized whey is used globally in both food and feed applications, and Proliant will target former and new dairy ingredient customers and distributors, leveraging its nearly 15 years of global dairy marketing experience.
Mike Matter, Proliant Dairy’s vice president of operations, will lead the plant construction and start-up production efforts. Pre-construction work has been ongoing, and Proliant will move aggressively into the construction phase. The plant is expected to be operational in September, 2008.
“Proliant Dairy and LGI are pleased to be back in the dairy ingredient business. We look forward to growing our new business and many productive years with the MDP team, its partners Land O’Lakes and Dairy Farmers of America, and the central Minnesota dairy community, “ said Chris Snyder, president and CEO of Proliant Dairy, Inc.
About the companies
Melrose Dairy Proteins is a joint venture between Land O’Lakes, Inc. and Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. MDP is a dairy processing facility in Melrose, Minn., producing Italian-style cheeses and Cheddar cheese for further processing. The plant has approximately 150 employees. It was built in 1968 and was purchased jointly by Land O’Lakes and Dairy Farmers of America in 2001.
Proliant Dairy, Inc. has nearly 15 years of experience in dairy products, processing technology, and international marketing and distribution. Proliant is a company of the Lauridsen Group, Inc. (LGI), a global manufacturer and marketer of protein-based and other value-add products for the food, nutrition, human health, nutraceutical, diagnostic, life science research, biopharmaceutical and veterinary vaccine industries.