Schreiber Foods Plans $267 Million Process Cheese Plant in Missouri

Schreiber Foods plans to invest more than $267 million in a new process cheese manufacturing facility in Carthage, Missouri, extending a production network that serves retailers, restaurants, distributors and food manufacturers around the world. The company announced the project on September 23 and said operations are expected to begin in 2028.

The plant is expected to create approximately 100 jobs and add process cheese capacity to Schreiber’s United States network. The company framed the investment as a response to customer demand and as part of a broader effort to build a more flexible global cheese manufacturing system.

Carthage is already one of Schreiber’s most established operating locations. The employee owned food manufacturer has worked in the southwest Missouri community since 1950 and currently employs more than 1,300 people across its existing local facilities. The new project therefore expands an established industrial base rather than creating a completely new production footprint.

Schreiber has not disclosed the planned plant’s annual output, equipment configuration or product mix. That leaves important commercial details unresolved, particularly how much capacity will be added and which customer channels will receive the additional production. The confirmed investment amount and 2028 operating target nevertheless make the project a substantial addition to the United States dairy processing pipeline.

The company produces cream cheese, natural cheese, process cheese, beverages and yogurt, and reports annual sales of more than $7 billion. Its scale and presence on five continents mean the Carthage expansion has relevance beyond Missouri, because added United States capacity can influence sourcing, contract manufacturing and supply resilience for large foodservice and retail customers.

For dairy suppliers and packaging, automation and sanitation vendors, the project creates a multiyear commercial opportunity before the plant begins operating. Large cheese facilities require tightly integrated receiving, cooking, blending, forming, packaging, cold chain and food safety systems, although Schreiber has not yet announced procurement details.

Schreiber said the investment reflects confidence in the future of process cheese and will support quality, food safety, service and reliability. The execution milestones to watch are construction progress, equipment awards, the eventual capacity figure and whether the new operation changes the company’s manufacturing allocation across its wider network.