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Chobani plans to invest $1.2B over five years in a 1.5M SF manufacturing and warehouse campus in the Lehigh Valley.
The company paid $125M for the Upper Macungie Township facility and plans 10 production lines and 900 jobs.
The project joins a wave of industrial investment in the region, including food, pharmaceutical, and chip manufacturing expansions.
According to Bisnow, Chobani is making a major industrial investment in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. The planned Lehigh Valley industrial campus spans 1.5M SF. The company expects to invest $1.2B over five years and create 900 jobs. The facility is expected to house 10 production lines.
Chobani acquired the property at 7356 Industrial Blvd. in Upper Macungie Township from Keurig Dr Pepper. Reuters reported a $125M purchase price. Once fully operational, the campus is expected to process 3B pounds of milk from Pennsylvania, according to Gov. Josh Shapiro's office. The project will participate in the state's FastTrack program, which is designed to streamline permitting.
The property transaction came as Keurig Dr Pepper sold back $800M of equity to Chobani. Chobani will continue manufacturing some KDP products at the facility, while KDP will keep distributing ready-to-drink La Colombe products. Chobani acquired Philadelphia-based La Colombe for $900M in 2023.
The project joins a broader wave of industrial investment across the Lehigh Valley. Freshpet signed a 216K SF cold-storage lease in Bethlehem. Spot & Tango announced a $20M plan to double its Upper Macungie manufacturing capacity. Eli Lilly announced a 925K SF, $3.5B manufacturing plant in Upper Macungie, and Nokia outlined a $30M expansion of an existing chip facility there.
Chobani's plan combines food manufacturing, warehousing, and regional agricultural demand at a single large campus. The planned 900 jobs and 10 production lines add another major industrial user to a corridor already attracting manufacturing capital. The milk-processing volume also ties the real estate investment directly to Pennsylvania's dairy supply chain.
The five-year investment program will determine how quickly Chobani scales production at the acquired campus. The company plans to keep some KDP manufacturing in place during the transition. Permitting through Pennsylvania's FastTrack program will be another execution point to watch.
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