Refresco-owned SunOpta opens $35m plant-based dairy line
The new line is SunOpta’s fourth manufacturing line of this type. The company said it will support production for existing customers, allow new customers to be added and improve supply-chain resilience. The line can make 32oz Edge-style aseptic packs and half-gallon formats, alongside 16oz, 32oz and 330ml packages.
SunOpta opened the Midlothian beverage plant in late 2023. The facility initially covered 285,000 square feet and was designed to accommodate multiple package sizes and configurations for foodservice, shelf-stable retail and e-commerce. Its plans included the possibility of expanding the site to 400,000 square feet.
The plant manufactures plant-based milks and creamers, tea and broths. SunOpta also produces meat and vegetable broths and fruit snacks for branded businesses, foodservice operators and private-label products. Its portfolio includes more than 300 plant-based items, including milk sold under the Dream brand, oat creamers under Sown and high-protein soy milk under West Life.
Nick Muzzin, the facility’s director, said the expansion would help the Midlothian team produce plant-based beverages, tea and broths at scale. Chief executive Brian Kocher said investment in the company’s existing sites was intended to provide customers with greater scale, flexibility and reliability.
The facility incorporates water-reuse equipment that can save up to 20m gallons a year. Its energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system reduces electricity consumption by 45%, while LED lighting and water heaters cut energy use by 95%. Offices and laboratories were built using at least 40% recyclable materials.
SunOpta operates seven manufacturing facilities across six markets, and the Midlothian site employs more than 220 people. The company said demand for plant-based milk, creamers, tea and broths in different formats was increasing. In the US, however, dollar sales of milk alternatives fell by 2% last year and unit sales declined by 5%.
SunOpta reported revenue of $205.4m for the third quarter of 2025, up nearly 17% from a year earlier. That was its final public earnings report before Refresco acquired the company for $1.1bn, taking SunOpta back into private ownership. SunOpta has also opened a fruit-snack production line in Omak, Washington; Kocher said earlier this year that the two projects positioned the business to meet expected market demand through the end of 2028.
The Midlothian investment follows a $56.2m grant from the state of Michigan to Fenton Food and Beverage for an industrial plant making plant-based milk components. Danone, meanwhile, has decided to close a 25-year-old plant-based dairy facility in New Jersey that produced goods for its Silk and So Delicious Dairy-Free brands, affecting 114 jobs. In Sweden, Oatly invested $16m this year to expand capacity at a facility by more than 33%.
