Linwood, NY

DFA - Micro Cheese Plant

Design-Builder

Shambaugh & Son, L.P.

Client

Dairy Farmers of America

Services Provided

  • Automation Engineering
  • Electrical
  • Fire Protection
  • Mechanical
  • Process Controls
Aerila view of the DFA Micro cheese plant in Linwood, New York

Value Delivered

Shambaugh led the design and construction of a new 40,000-square-foot cheese processing plant in Linwood, NY, for Dairy Farmers of America (DFA).

The highly efficient plant is designed to receive 410,000 pounds of standardized raw milk from the adjacent Craig Station Creamery and process the milk into a variety of artisan cheese blocks at a rate of approximately 41,000 pounds of cheese per day.

The whey stream from the cheese process can be concentrated on site, and Shambaugh’s sustainable design allows waste water to be treated at the plant for secondary facility and agricultural use.

Client Objectives

DFA needed to construct a new processing plant that would combine the resources of their national cooperative, sustainable and environmentally friendly technology, and the traditional goodness of family farming.

The facility was strategically located to work in conjunction with the nearby Craig Station Creamery to fulfill DFA’s vision for a first-of- its-kind agricultural site facility serving its distribution network in western New York.

Solutions

Shambaugh provided full-service mechanical, electrical, fire protection, building automation, and process controls for this greenfield cheddar cheese processing facility.

During the project, Shambaugh delivered the following:

  • Separation, clarification cheese making, and whey processing
  • 24-hour raw milk processing capabilities
  • Milk tanker receiving/processing areas
  • Laboratories
  • Sanitation and utility corridors
  • Bulk chemical and storage distribution
  • Wastewater treatment
  • Associated utility infrastructure

Client Background

DFA is a national cooperative that markets and sells milk products to wholesale buyers around the globe. Formed in 1998 by four of the nation’s leading milk cooperatives, DFA now includes more than 13,000 dairy farmers in 48 states.