ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A PepsiCo spokesman says the company and its German partner are shutting down production at a western New York yogurt plant opened with much fanfare and state money in 2013.
The spokesman says the company will work to minimize job losses among the 200 employees of the Muller Quaker Dairy in Batavia. He said production ended on Thursday.
News of the plant's closing came hours after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the Finger Lakes Region that includes the dairy has been awarded $500 million in state aid for economic development. The plant was cited as an example of a successful agri-business in the region's application for the aid.
The $208 million yogurt plant was opened by Germany's Theo Muller Group and PepsiCo subsidiary Quaker Oats in the spring of 2013 with about $14 million in state tax credits.