Twin Falls, Idaho-based Glanbia Foods is building a $82 million expansion project in the south state expected to create 50 new jobs

Claiming to be the world's largest American style cheese manufacturer, Glanbia plays a pivotal role for Idaho dairymen looking for markets.

Glanbia, one of the largest manufacturers of whey ingredients, will construct new plants in Twin Falls and Gooding, says the expansion is "strongly aligned to our strategy of adding further value to our whey stream," according to Daragh Maccabee, Glanbia CFO.

Glanbia Foods, of Idaho's top dairy markets, is building new plants in Gooding and Twin Falls.

"The company considered various options and locations for these new activities but ultimately came to the conclusion that Idaho was the right location. We have a long track record in Idaho, and the support of the state and local communities was instrumental in our choice of Idaho for renewed expansion." The company is approved to receive a Tax Reimbursement Incentive credit of 23 percent for 10 years, which was matched by the local community.  The Gooding County Board of County Commissioners approved a property tax exemption on the incremental new capital investment.

Gambia processes more than 23 million pounds of milk every day into cheese from three manufacturing facilities in Idaho and New Mexico, where more than 1,000  workers are employed by the company.

The company, which markets 830 million pounds of cheese and 170 million pounds of value-added whey to more than 30 nations, is building the new plants to help meet the following criteria listed by the firm  in the whey market:

•The expansion of high end whey protein production in Gooding to include whey protein isolate.

Creation of a center of excellence for in-house blending and agglomeration of high-end nutritional products.

•Introduction of lactoferrin production to the Twin Falls location and the internal drying capacity expanded to cater to both the Twin Falls and Gooding production.

The firm will pay for a 30 MW energy sub-station on current Glanbia land at the Gooding facility, and will free up 12MW of existing capacity for alternative uses in the area.

The new facilities will be fully operational by 2016.

"This is yet another exciting announcement for the Magic Valley to see one of its own home-grown companies expand and create new jobs," says Idaho Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter.  "We are particularly thrilled that we were once again able to leverage the Tax Reimbursement Incentive to support the growth of an existing Idaho company."

The company has been headquartered in Southern Idaho for 25 years processes a third of Idaho's milk production, and has experienced what Maccabee calls "significant growth."

 "The entire Southern Idaho region celebrates this announcement today along with the addition of more than 40 good paying jobs," says Jan Rogers, executive director, Southern Idaho Economic Development Organization).

Southern Idaho, known as America's Most Diverse Food Basket, also celebrated a  $15 million Glanbia headquarters and Cheese Innovation Center and Chobani's $450 million yogurt plant.  The region has also recently attracted investments from food giants Clif Bar, Monsanto and Frulact Group.