New Binghamton Dairy to Start Milk Production

Mountain Fresh Dairy plans to start production at this former Crowley plant in Binghamton. [Bob Joseph/WNBF News][/caption]

Regular production operations are about to get underway at a landmark dairy processing facility on Binghamton's South Side.

A crane was used at the new Mountain Fresh Dairy plant in November 2015. [Bob Joseph/WNBF News][/caption]

Mountain Fresh Dairy is expected to officially launch production of three types of milk at the old Crowley Foods plant on Conklin Avenue on Wednesday.

Zeev Rothschild of Mountain Fresh Dairy on Tuesday said the trial runs at the renovated facility went well so everything now is set for regular processing to begin.

New equipment as it was delivered to the dairy processing facility on Conklin Avenue. [Bob Joseph/WNBF News][/caption]

Rothschild said initially the kosher dairy processing plant will turn out whole milk, one percent milk and skim milk.

In the next planned phase of operations, Rothschild said the facility is expected to produce cottage cheese and sour cream.

Initially, between 10 and 12 people will be working in the former Crowley building on the south side of the Susquehanna River. About six other people are being employed as drivers.

Rothschild said the milk that will be processed in Binghamton is coming from a farm about 30 miles north of Albany.

Within the next year or two, Rothschild said he hopes the workforce at the plant will grow to include 40 to 80 employees. He's hoping to hire more people who once worked at the site when it was making Crowley products.

Mountain Fresh acquired the Conklin Avenue property from HP Hood in 2013. The new owners had hoped to have the plant back in business about two years ago.

Rothschild acknowledged the effort has taken longer than had been anticipated. He noted the product has to be perfect before it can be released to market.

A glimpse inside the dairy processing facility as new equipment was being installed. [Bob Joseph/WNBF News][/caption]

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