Soft opening marks major expansion for Coca-Cola subsidiary with 380 jobs created and future capacity reserved for growing protein beverage demand.
Fairlife CEO Becca Kerr joined New York Governor Kathy Hochul and local officials on Thursday, August 20, 2026, for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting to mark the soft opening of the company’s new $650 million milk processing plant in Webster, Monroe County. Representing one of the largest capital investments in the history of The Coca-Cola Company, the 745,000-square-foot facility is the largest single industrial development in Monroe County history and the largest dairy production plant in the northeastern United States.
Hiring at the plant has advanced ahead of initial projections, with Kerr announcing that Fairlife has already created approximately 380 full-time jobs in the region—surpassing the original 250-job target tied to state performance incentives and internal build-out forecasts. The facility is slated to operate continuous 24/7 shifts with all three core processing lines running during the second half of the year, manufacturing high-protein, lactose-free ultra-filtered milk, Core Power protein shakes, and Nutrition Plan meal replacement beverages.
At full operational throughput, the Webster plant is expected to process roughly 5 million pounds of raw milk daily, sourcing directly from dairy farm cooperatives across the Rochester, Niagara, and Finger Lakes regions. The facility will generate approximately 200 semi-trailer and milk tanker movements per day, prompting public infrastructure upgrades including the planned extension of Boulter Industrial Parkway and local road widening around Tebor and Basket roads to accommodate heavy transport flows.
The newly opened plant also features built-in shell space reserved for future industrial expansion. Addressing attendees, Kerr noted that soaring consumer demand for dairy-based protein formats makes the Webster site a central pillar for long-term national supply, calling the opening “one step in our Webster journey”. Governor Hochul reaffirmed state and municipal backing for future phases, emphasizing that New York’s agricultural policy and strong dairy infrastructure position the region as the primary hub for Fairlife’s continuing production growth.
The commissioning of the Webster plant represents a major structural shift in Northeast dairy processing, providing a high-volume processing outlet for regional raw milk pools amid broader market shifts. As consumer preferences increasingly pivot toward value-added, ultra-filtered functional beverages, the massive facility strengthens New York’s farmgate processing capacity and expands Coca-Cola’s dairy footprint across high-demand North American markets.
Source: Dairynews7x7 22 Aug, 2026 From our partner channel en.edairynews.com