Buffalo co-op buys dairy

NORTH LAWRENCE — A dairy cooperative in Buffalo has purchased the shuttered North Lawrence Dairy plant, according to a union official.

Upstate Niagara Cooperative bought the former Breyers Yogurt plant from Healthy Food Holdings Inc. on Thursday, according to Teamsters Local 687 President Brian K. Hammond. The new owner plans to begin operations there by August, and continue producing yogurt at the plant, Mr. Hammond said.

"They want to be up and ready, they're telling us, by the end of July," Mr. Hammond said.

The purchase capped off a wild week of rumors and speculation surrounding the plant's future. Mr. Hammond said he knew Upstate was interested in the plant, but many details were not finalized until the last couple of days.

"A lot of this stuff was up in the air until the last minute," Mr. Hammond said. "It was right down to the wire of whether they were going to buy it or not."

Healthy Food Holdings announced the closing of the Breyers yogurt plant in January. Most of the plant's operations were shut down during two weeks in late April. Only a handful of the plant's 137 employees remains working at the plant, according to a notice filed with the state Department of Labor.

The number of employees under the new owner remains uncertain, Mr. Hammond said. At capacity, the plant can hold 200 employees. Teamsters will continue to have a presence at the plant under the new ownership, Mr. Hammond said.

The future of the more-than-100-year-old plant looked bleak when Healthy Food Holdings first announced the shutdown. But now, Mr. Hammond said he is optimistic.

"I'm very excited about the future of this plant," he said.

Upstate Niagara spokeswoman Eva Balazs could not be reached Thursday.

Upstate Niagara operates milk processing and distribution centers in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Rochester; a cottage cheese, sour cream and yogurt plant in Buffalo, and distribution centers in Syracuse and Watertown. The products are sold under the Bison and Upstate Farms brands, according to the company's website.