CHOBANI Australia's new $30 million yogurt factory in Dandenong South was officially opened today.
The facility was officially opened by Chobani president, CEO and founder Hamdi Ulukaya and Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh.
Chobani bought Victorian dairy company Bead Foods last year and added more than 3000sqm of wet processing and cool room facilities to the existing operation - tripling production capacity to more than 30,000 tonnes of yogurt per annum.
“Chobani started just five years ago and was built upon the belief that everyone deserves access to high-quality, great-tasting yogurt made from only natural ingredients,” Mr Ulukaya said.
“We chose Australia as our first international market to launch Chobani because of its amazingly high-quality milk, and we knew that Australians are passionate about great-tasting food.”
With the plant now operational, Chobani Australia has increased the number of manufacturing and management staff, creating 50 new jobs in the last year. A further 150 jobs are expected to be added in the next three years as it reaches capacity.
Chobani Australia expects the Dandenong South plant will serve as an export hub to drive further growth of the Chobani Greek Yogurt and Gippsland Dairy brands into Asia.
“This expansion is good news for Victorian dairy farmers who supply Chobani Australia, and it is a strong vote of confidence in Victoria's valuable dairy sector,” Mr Walsh said.
