WEBSTER, N.Y. — The ribbon was cut last week at fairlife’s massive new Webster, New York dairy plant, but the milestone wasn’t the beginning of milk processing there. It marked something potentially more significant for New York dairy farmers: the transition toward full-scale production at a plant expected to eventually take in 5 million to 6 million pounds of milk every day.

Gov. Kathy Hochul joined fairlife CEO Becca Kerr and state and local officials Aug. 20 to celebrate what New York described as the “initial ramp up of production” at the $650 million, 745,000-square-foot facility outside of Rochester in Monroe County.

Line testing had started late last year, and commercial shipments of fairlife ultra-filtered milk, Core Power protein shakes, and Nutrition Plan shakes began in January 2026.

Now the emphasis is on ramp-up.

“Demand for our products has never been higher, and we intend to meet it,” Kerr said at the ribbon cutting. “Webster is a key part of how we’re going to meet that demand for years to come.”

The plant is already sourcing milk daily from more than 40 New York dairy farms, according to fairlife, but is not yet at its ultimate milk intake or production capacity. The company expects the Webster facility to be fully operational later this year, with local reporting indicating all three current production lines are expected to operate full shifts around the clock during the second half of 2026.

At 365 days of operation, daily milk intake at full operations is expected to use 1.8 billion to 2.2 billion pounds of milk annually — equivalent to approximately 11 to 13% of New York’s current annual milk production of more than 16.6 billion pounds from about 2700 Empire State farms, making dairy the state’s largest ag sector.

The distinction between opening and full operation is important. When construction began in April 2024, the Webster facility was expected to become operational in the fourth quarter of 2025. Production-line testing ultimately began late last year, followed by initial commercial shipments early this year.

The gradual startup was anticipated by parent company Coca-Cola. Company executives told investors last fall that Webster’s additional capacity would come online progressively through 2026 rather than all at once, giving fairlife greater ability to meet consumer demand as the year progressed. That capacity has become increasingly important as demand for high-protein dairy beverages grows.

Webster produces fairlife ultra-filtered milk along with the company’s Core Power protein beverages and Nutrition Plan shakes. The ultrafiltration process separates milk components to produce beverages with higher protein and lower sugar while removing lactose.

Wastewater was a critical piece

Getting a dairy plant of this size to full production also required an unusually large infrastructure project outside its walls.

The Town of Webster’s wastewater system was not originally designed to accommodate the volume and strength of wastewater generated by a plant processing millions of pounds of milk daily.

Town documents have estimated fairlife could ultimately send as much as 2 million gallons of wastewater per day into the municipal system. Webster consequently expanded the capacity of its wastewater treatment plant from about 5 million gallons per day to 7.1, and incorporated treatment technology specifically designed to accommodate dairy processing streams.

New York provided $20 million toward the municipal wastewater project, while a separate conveyance line was enlarged to move fairlife wastewater to the treatment facility, while fairlife added an on-site pretreatment operation before wastewater reaches the municipal system.

Monroe County Industrial Development Agency records this year extended fairlife’s sales-tax exemption through Dec. 31, citing the longer construction schedule and continued completion of the wastewater-treatment portion of the facility.

Room to grow

Even 5 million to 6 million pounds of milk per day may not tell the entire Webster story. Parts of the facility remain unbuilt internally for potential future expansion, according to New York Ag & Markets, and fairlife has not announced a timetable for additional buildout.

Kerr also made clear during the ribbon cutting that the company views the current ramp-up as a beginning rather than an endpoint.

“While today is a big day,” she said, “it’s really just one step in our Webster journey.”

Hochul openly encouraged the company to grow again in Webster.

For dairy farmers, however, the immediate number to watch is not the size of the building or the ribbon that was cut Aug. 20. It’s milk intake.

As Webster’s three fairlife production lines move from startup and intermittent production toward continuous operation, the new plant is moving toward its promised role as one of the Northeast’s largest new milk outlets — ultimately taking 5 million to 6 million pounds per day while adding substantial new production capacity for one of the fastest-growing segments of the dairy case.