Danone Opens Largest Vegan Yogurt Plant in the Country

Today, food company Danone North America is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the largest plant-based yogurt facility in the United States in DuBois, PA. The upgraded multi-million dollar facility—which expands into a space formerly occupied by a local airport—builds on its existing factory to bring its production space to a total of 180,000 square feet. Danone built the new addition to meet consumer demand for dairy alternatives and plans to triple its plant-based business by 2025. In 2016, Danone acquired WhiteWave Foods (parent company of vegan brands such as Silk, So Delicious, and Vega) for $12.5 billion, and plans to produce the vegan products made by these brands, including yogurt, cheese, and protein powders, inside of its new dedicated dairy-free facility. “Many people who enjoy our products look for plant-based options because they are interested in lessening their impact on the environment through diet,” Chad Stone, Plant Director at Danone North America’s DuBois facility, said. “Recognizing this is a priority for the people we serve, we are committed to continuously improving our environmental practices to ensure they are best-in-class.” In addition to producing beloved vegan dairy alternatives, Danone has debuted several plant-based options to its existing dairy brands. Late last year, Danone added vegan yogurt line Good Plants under its Light & Fit brand before debuting a coconut-milk version of its popular Oikos yogurt.