A large Northeast dairy co-operative has signed on to occupy a new distribution facility in Enfield.
Agri-Mark Inc. will use more than 260,000 square feet of space for storage and distribution in the new 500,000-square-foot facility at 113 North Maple St., built and owned by Massachusetts-based developers Winstanley Enterprises.
Agri-Mark operates a manufacturing facility in West Springfield, Mass., where the Cabot branded butter, condensed milk and nonfat dry milk is made.
The company also has six smaller storage facilities that support the plant, and officials were looking for a larger distribution and storage space that was easily accessible to the plant.
The new Enfield plant will allow Agri-Mark to consolidate the six sites and add 202,000 square feet of dry storage space, 60,000 square feet of refrigerated space, and 30 total dock doors.
The new plant will also allow the company to be more efficient with incoming and outgoing deliveries, “which is a benefit to our neighbors and our customers,” officials said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday at the new facility.
The new distribution facility in Enfield “checked all the right boxes,” said Amber Sheriden, Agri-Mark’s director of corporate communications.
Also, the new facility will allow all members of the distribution team that serve the West Springfield manufacturing plant to be based and work out of the single location for the first time, company officials said.
“We are excited to add this modern, bright and state-of-the-art distribution facility to our network,” said Agri-Mark Director of Corporate Strategy Derek Zwegust. “It will add storage capacity, relieve dock congestion, improve safety, and consolidate multiple smaller warehouses in the West Springfield area.”
The company has a long-term lease with Winstanley Enterprises for use of the facility, the terms of which were not disclosed.
The new plant will use a new warehouse system that will improve inventory management or order accuracy for customers. The refrigerant used will be CO2, which is considered among the more sustainable refrigerant options available, company officials said.
Agri-Mark brands include Cabot Creamery, McCadam Cheese, and other dairy product companies. The co-op consists of 600 farmer member owners, with 100% of profits going to farmers.
This new facility will employ 10 full-time employees who are being relocated from the consolidated warehouses.
Agri-Mark has four production plants in Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts; one retail store in Vermont; and more than 1,000 employees in the co-operative, which produces 3.2 billion pounds of milk annually and $1 billion in annual sales.
The North Maple Street distribution center will also be occupied by biotech company Eppendorf.
Winstanley has several projects in the North-of-Hartford area, including large-scale mixed-use developments in Windsor that will combine retail, residential, biotech and open space areas.