BAKERSFIELD, CALIF. — Milk marketing and processing cooperative California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) marked the grand opening of its Valley Natural Beverages (VNB) shelf-stable milk manufacturing facility April 30 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The cooperative called the state-of-the-art, 200,000-square-foot facility a “transformational investment” by its member-owners.

CDI said the greenfield plant is vertically integrated and will process an estimated 116,000 gallons of milk per day sourced from local dairy farms in California.

“We are thrilled to officially open this cutting-edge facility,” said Brad Anderson, president and chief executive officer at CDI. “This investment underscores our commitment to innovation and sustainability. The new plant will allow us to increase production capacity, expand our product offerings, improve efficiency and create next-generation jobs for the local community.”

As VNB gets started, the facility will utilize three processing lines to produce extended shelf life (ESL) and ultra-high temperature (UHT) dairy beverages and products.

Eventually, plans call for the plant to incorporate more lines and process far more milk. CDI said the VNB strategic growth plan outlines numerous phases for expansion, with between 10 to 12 production lines up and running in the future. CDI said the Bakersfield, Calif., site will eventually become a 400,000-square-feet facility that can process as much as 600,000 gallons per day.

Features of the current facility include advanced robotics and energy efficient technology, CDI shared, noting the operation also will focus on the cooperative’s commitment to environmental sustainability by incorporating renewal energy and waste conservation.

Peter Ernster, CDI’s senior vice president of ingredients and fluid products, said the facility allows the cooperative to meet demand with innovative products.

“Value-added dairy products like ESL and UHT are popular options in today’s changing marketplace,” Ernster said.

CDI noted support for the project came from industry partners such as Big-D Construction, Tetra Pak, E.A. Bonelli + Associates, Inc., JCS Process & Control Systems, Elopak, Mark III, Interlake Mecalux, and Dairy Conveyor Corp.