A Clackamas dairy plant that looked destined for the scrap heap is getting a second life. Plant Based Innovations has bought the former Alpenrose production site in Clackamas and says it will keep the lines running, preserving roughly 35 local jobs and keeping key equipment off the auction block. The deal keeps regional butter, sour cream and ice-cream mix capacity in place after Alpenrose moved to consolidate operations earlier this year, with company executives casting the sale as a way to steady local supply and give workers continuity at a facility that had been headed toward closure.
Local buyer news and investment plans
Leominster, Massachusetts based Plant Based Innovations acquired the Clackamas facility and plans to put money into the site to expand production capacity and keep product flowing, according to the Portland Business Journal. The outlet reports the purchase follows Alpenrose's decision earlier this year to consolidate operations and put the Clackamas plant on the market.
From closure notice to a last-minute buyer
Alpenrose announced in January that it would stop production at the Clackamas butter, sour cream and ice-cream mix plant effective March 31 and brought in industrial broker Harry Davis & Company to market the operation. Harry Davis cautioned that the facility's equipment would be sold at auction on May 20 if no strategic buyer stepped up. Plant Based Innovations moved in before that auction date and purchased the operation, as detailed by Harry Davis & Company.
Why a plant-based co-packer wanted a dairy line
Plant Based Innovations describes itself as a flexible co-packer that can handle both traditional dairy formulations and non-dairy products, with facilities on the East Coast, West Coast and in the Midwest, according to the company's website. Food Engineering quoted PBI President JD Sethi saying, "This acquisition reflects a shared commitment to doing what is right for the business, its employees, its customers and the community."
Jobs and the regional supply chain
The sale keeps about 35 local jobs in place and maintains value-added dairy production, including butter and sour cream, in the Portland metro area, according to industry reporting. "We are thrilled that PBI has acquired the Clackamas facility," Dusty Highland, CEO of Smith Brothers and Alpenrose, told Food Engineering.
What comes next for shoppers
Alpenrose will continue some milk and cottage cheese production at its Kent, Washington site while value-added lines shift to Plant Based Innovations ownership, according to the prior consolidation announcement. The marketing listing from Harry Davis also notes that Alpenrose purchased the Clackamas plant from Larsen's Creamery in 2022, making this sale another quick change in ownership for a facility that supplies regional grocers.
