EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN. — Milk Specialties Global (MSG) has acquired a Kay’s Processing, LLC facility in Clara City, Minn., as well as Kay’s Naturals consumer brand. Milk Specialties Global plans to expand operations at the 96,000-square-foot, gluten-free-certified facility to meet demand for extruded proteins products used in a variety of applications, including snacks and meat alternatives.

“There is a lot of potential to ramp up production and increase capacity at our new Clara City facility, including more co-manufacturing,” said Jim Fischer, vice president of extrusion technology and strategy for Milk Specialties Global. “This acquisition will expand our extruded protein capabilities and help us better meet the needs of our customers.”

Kay’s Processing manufactures snack foods for the health-conscious consumer market and provides branded ingredients.  The company works with organic quinoa, pea protein, rice protein and soy protein.

Milk Specialties Global now has 11 plants after beginning a series of acquisitions and expansions in 2008. The company in 2020 doubled its lactose production by expanding a processing facility in Visalia, Calif. Earlier this year Milk Specialties Global completed a capital improvement projects at its facility in Fond Du Lac, Wis., to begin production of lactoferrin.