A Lotta Latte: Chobani Starts $567M Plant Expansion in Michigan

Greek yogurt maker Chobani has started work on the expansion of its La Colombe plant in Norton Shores, Mich., in a multi-phase, $567 million process that will add more than 200,000 square feet to the facility. The plant, in the southwestern part of the state, makes ready-to-drink lattes.

The move comes at a time of surging demand for the ready-to-drink product, according to Chobani, which acquired La Colombe in 2023. The latte maker has operated in Norton Shores, which is near Lake Michigan, for about a decade.

La Colombe first started in Philadelphia in the 1990s, evolving to operate cafés nationwide, including in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin, and Washington, D.C. In 2016, La Colombe launched its ready-to-drink lattes.

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The La Colombe expansion will be a boost for Michigan’s dairy industry, since the plant sources its milk products in the region. The plant will increase its supply significantly over the next few years, from about 30 million pounds to 615 million pounds annually.

Last year, Chobani broke ground on a $1.2 billion dairy plant totaling 1.4 million square feet in Rome, N.Y. The plant will feature up to 28 production lines designed to process roughly 12 million pounds of milk per day, and at full capacity, will produce as much as 1 billion pounds of dairy products annually.

Public Funds Approved for Infrastructure Benefiting La Colombe

In March, Michigan’s economic development board approved public funding for infrastructure projects supporting dairy plant expansions in western Michigan, one of which is for Chobani’s La Colombe operations in Norton Shores, according to The Detroit News. About $28 million will support water infrastructure in that town, while $17 million will go toward water infrastructure in Coopersville, Mich., to support an expansion of Fairlife.

The state’s Strategic Site Readiness Program will finance the infrastructure spending, which still needs approval by the Michigan House and Senate appropriations committees. The MSF board also signed off on a $5 million direct grant for the La Colombe operation from the Michigan Business Development program.