DARLINGTON, WIS. — Wisconsin Whey Protein Inc. revealed construction of a new whey protein isolate (WPI) plant is underway at its Darlington, Wisconsin, facility.
Scheduled to open in early 2026, the expansion project will allow the site to produce as much as 13 million lbs of WPI per year.
The company, which also produces WPI at its Turtle Lake, Wisconsin facility, said healthy lifestyle trends and consumers taking GLP-1 drugs are driving growing demand for WPI.
“Whey protein isolate has excellent protein quality and is a perfect solution to meet the growing consumer demand for protein fortified food products,” Wisconsin Whey Protein founder and chief executive officer K. Kachadurian said.
The Darlington plant currently produces barrel cheese, whey protein concentrate (80%) and lactose. The company said once the site adds WPI production capacity, it will be able to produce 22 million lbs of WPI per year, given the 9 million lbs capacity at its Turtle Lake plant.
Wisconsin Whey Protein shared that sister company Stainless Technologies is building the new WPI plant on a turnkey basis, handling design, engineering, fabrication, automation and installation.