BARABOO, WIS. — Diversified Ingredients announced it will acquire Foremost Farms USA’s Preston, Minn., manufacturing facility.
The new entity will be called Preston Protein Products and will be a joint venture between Diversified Ingredients and Lime Springs, Iowa-based Johnson Farms, Inc.
The Preston plant offers milk separation, condensing and drying services for organic dairy fluid and ingredient marketers. Foremost Farms, which focuses primarily on whey products in the infant formula markets, said the plant is not set up to meet the requirements of its customer base and is better suited to serve smaller market segments and to manufacture specialized products that require smaller volumes.
“Foremost Farms and Johnson Farms have been valued partners of Diversified Ingredients for over 30 years,” said Matthew Collins, managing partner at Diversified Ingredients. “We are excited about this new chapter of our relationship and look forward to expanding our services into the many specialty markets we service with the drying, separation and blending capabilities that this facility offers.”
The dairy cooperative will transition all current Preston Foremost Farms employees to its organization.
“Manufacturing footprints continually evolve and change,” said Greg Schlafer, president and chief executive officer at Foremost Farms. “While it’s difficult to see employees leave the cooperative, an owner focused on building on Preston’s established capabilities offers the best opportunity for the plant and its workers. We invested in the plant three years ago, updating the dryer. It was the right decision at the time. Today, it gives the plant a base to build a future as a viable specialty drying operation with Diversified Ingredients.”