Expansion will increase plant capacity by 30 percent

Bongards Creameries, a leading national cheese and whey manufacturer, recently announced a major investment in its Perham, Minn. Plant. The expansion will increase overall plant capacity to 5.5 million pounds of milk per day—an increase of 30 percent.

Bongards previously completed a significant expansion of the Perham plant’s capacity in 2015, expanded warehouse capacity in 2022, and replaced the existing cheese vats and evaporator in 2023. 

“With this latest investment, we will be able to continue supporting the growth of our business, allow our current farmer-owners to expand, and allow us to bring on new members,” said Daryl Larson, Bongards CEO. “In order to increase our milk intake by nearly a third, many aspects of the production process need to be expanded.” 

The investment includes expansion of the milk intake bays, cheese packaging equipment, whey drying and packaging equipment, whey warehousing, and wastewater treatment.

Major work on the project is expected to commence in July 2023 and be completed in June 2025.

Construction is being completed by local Perham contractors.

Bongards Creameries is a farmer-owned co-op that was formed in 1908 in the southeastern Minnesota town of Bongards. The co-op’s dairy farmers are based in Minnesota and North Dakota. With over a century of dairy expertise, Bongards is a vertically integrated, global cheese supplier that produces hundreds of millions of pounds of natural cheese, process cheese, and whey each year. Bongards’ cheeses are utilized by many of the country’s largest foodservice operators, food manufacturers and foodservice distributors. 

The company’s cheeses can be found in commercial restaurants, K-12 schools, retail delis and C-stores, among others. Corporate offices are based in Chanhassen, Minn., and the company’s three production facilities are in Bongards, Minn., Perham and Humboldt, Tenn. 

For more information, visit www.Bongards.com.