Lucille on the "Whey" to New Opportunities

Lucille Farms Inc., Montville, NJ, has begun construction on a 10,000 sqft roller-whey drying facility adjacent to the company's Swanton, Vermont cheese plant.

This $2 million project is being built in conjunction with a major ingredient processing company, who has agreed to provide the drying equipment valued at $1 million and to purchase all the whey the venture produces. Interim financing for the project has been provided by the state of Vermont. Construction of the building began in August 1998, and is expected to be completed by November of this year.

A natural by-product of cheesemaking, whey formerly was regarded as an environmental pollutant. More recently, it has become a valuable ingredient. It's high protein and mineral content has led to its use in a wide range of products, including animal feed, infant formula, protein powders, ice cream and a host of others. Drying and selling its own whey, as well as whey supplied by other manufacturers offers Lucille Farms an entirely new opportunity to profit from its by-products. It will also enable the company to consider developing additional whey-based products, such as ricotta.

This latest project is part of a larger effort the company has embarked on to improve its operating profits. In addition to the whey project, Lucille Farms has invested over $1.5 million over the last two years to upgrade and improve the efficiency of its plant.

"Our whey drying project is a vital part of our plans for growth,'' declared Al Falivene, Lucille's president & CEO. "We expect it will contribute significantly to our future earnings.''