DeWitt, NY (WSYR-TV) - A local dairy company is getting national attention. Byrne Dairy in DeWitt was honored as the “Plant of the Year” by Food and Beverage Magazine Wednesday.
So what sets Byrne Dairy apart from the rest? The family owned plant has provided jobs and calcium to Central New York since 1933.
Plant General Manager Joe Lockwood is proud of being a part of Byrne Dairy.
"It’s always nice to have a local company have some publicity outside the area and it makes us proud to be from Central New York," he said.
And now, thanks to its extended shelf-life facility, the only kind like it in the nation, Byrne Dairy is being nationally recognized for keeping milk from spoiling.
A unique combination of milk processing gives the DeWitt Byrne Dairy chocolate milk a 120-day shelf life, according to Lockwood.
Another aspect of the plant that stands out is its single-serve bottles that are made using a waterless sterilization system. The system saves water and reduces chemical use. Just another reason Byrne Dairy was picked as one of the most innovative manufacturing plants by Food and Beverage Magazine.
Lockwood says the extended shelf life gives consumers “the opportunity to buy it, or display it as a business and buy it as a consumer, and leave it under refrigeration longer.”
Since 2004, Byrne Dairy has spent more than $10 million on the processing system. But there’s no need to sour over the numbers, Lockwood says the money has proven to be an incredible investment.
“It allows you to ship the product farther and through supply chains, which are much longer in nature,” Lockwood explained.
Food and Beverage Magazine editors hope these types of initiatives serve as an inspiration so other companies won't continue to cry over their spilled milk.
