Darigold, Inc., the Seattle-based processing and marketing arm of the Northwest Dairy Association (NDA), announced that it has officially begun receiving and processing milk at its new facility in Pasco, Wash. The new plant will process up to 8 million pounds of milk per day from more than 100 regional farms, producing butter and powdered milk products for customers across the U.S. and in some 30 countries worldwide.
The Pasco project represents more than $1 billion in investment in Washington's dairy sector, including both construction and on-farm expansion. It is expected to employ nearly 200 people directly and to support up to 1,000 jobs in total through transportation, warehousing, and farm workers.
"Dairy demand continues to grow, both here at home and abroad," says Allan Huttema, President and CEO of Darigold and a third-generation dairy farmer in Parma, Idaho. "Our new Pasco facility solidifies the Northwest as a global dairy leader and reflects our farmer-owners' long-term commitment to good stewardship, high-quality production, and maintaining dairy farming as a way of life."
When fully operational, the Pasco facility will be able to process up to 8 million pounds of milk per day, coming from more than 100 family-owned dairy farms across the region.Image courtesy of Darigold
Darigold's farmer-owners approved the Pasco project in 2021 to expand and modernize the company's production capability, create growth opportunities for member farms, and strengthen the co-op's ability to serve global markets. Pasco was selected for its proximity to a large number of NDA member farms, access to a robust workforce in the Pasco/Tri-Cities area, and access to key transportation infrastructure—including highways, rail lines and ports.
Construction began in 2022. While the facility is now receiving and processing milk, Darigold will continue to finalize work on production equipment over the coming months. The company expects to begin producing powdered milk from the first of two milk dryers, then butter by early August. A second dryer is slated to come online by year's end.
