Batavia, N.Y. --- For PepsiCo the joint initiative with a German-based yogurt manufacturer represents the company’s first venture into the booming U.S. yogurt market.
For Batavia and Genesee County that initiative represents real hope for the local economy’s future as a “Yogurt Town” of sorts.
The Muller Quaker Yogurt product line officially launched just a couple weeks ago with PepsiCo adding the Theo Muller Group’s yogurt-making expertise to its diverse portfolio of snack and beverage products.
The project known for months as “Project Wave” involves the construction of a 350,000 square-foot manufacturing plant that would be one of the largest of its kind in the United States. It is already two weeks ahead of schedule and more than 180 jobs are expected when the building opens for production next summer.
Yet luring this project to Batavia and Genesee County remains one of the quiet “big wins” for local and state leaders.
"We looked all around the country to see where was the best state to locate in, where was the best milk supply, where was the government of the state really welcoming of investment, and where were the local communities wanting to have a PepsiCo plant in their midst," said Indra Nooyi the C.E.O. of PepsiCo of her company’s decision-making process. "But there was no competition, we love being here the Genesee County people have to be given a lot of credit the way they brought the forces of the county together to get everything expedited in such a short time I think it's a real textbook example of how to attract investment into any community."
