Idaho Milk Products has celebrated the ribbon-cutting of its new ice cream and powder blending facility in Jerome, Idaho. 

Designed with advanced technology and precision processing, Idaho Milk Products says the new facility enhances its ability to deliver quality, consistency and innovation across an expanded portfolio of dairy products. The operation combines large-scale production capabilities with the flexibility to meet diverse customer needs across both retail and foodservice markets, bringing together high-speed ice cream manufacturing and high-capacity powder blending within a single facility. 

The facility supports a range of production capabilities — from premium ice cream novelties to bulk formats and custom dairy formulations. Idaho Milk Products can produce up to 54,000 novelty ice cream items per hour, including stick bars, sandwiches and cones, with options for variegates, inclusions and dual coatings.

“Delivering a $190 million project on time and on budget requires expertise, commitment, and strong partnerships,” says John Murphy, vice president of operations. “This achievement reflects the collective effort of our internal teams and external partners, and we’re proud of the result.” 

In addition to novelties, the plant offers high-capacity bulk manufacturing, producing up to 14,400 pints per hour or 7,200 48-ounce containers per hour. Flexible packaging options range from 3-oz. servings to half-gallon containers, allowing for tailored solutions that meet precise customer specifications. 

“With both novelty and bulk ice cream capabilities, this facility expands our ability to innovate and collaborate with customers,” says Louis Armstrong, ice cream business manager. “We look forward to partnering with brands to develop high-quality ice cream products across a variety of formats and to support their continued growth.” 

Complementing its ice cream capabilities, the facility features advanced dry-blending systems capable of processing up to 16,000 pounds per hour, delivering consistent dairy-based ingredient solutions tailored to specific food applications. With flexible batch sizing, integrated sifting, high-speed filling and a diverse ingredient portfolio, Idaho Milk Products supports custom formulations designed to meet functional, performance and market requirements. 

“Today marks an important milestone as we celebrate the continued evolution of Idaho Milk Products alongside our commercial, community and industry partners,” says CEO Daragh Maccabee. “After years of planning, this new facility enables us to advance our milk protein powder business through customized blending solutions while bringing the same value-added approach to cream as we have with milk protein. More importantly, this is a plant built for the future. I feel privileged to lead an exceptional team. Their dedication — along with the support of our dairy farmer owners — positions us to further deliver on our purpose of bringing value to milk for generations.”

Facility highlights:

• Up to 300 million ice cream novelty items annually
• Up to 66 million pints of ice cream annually
• Up to 14 million gallons of liquid ice cream mix processed annually
• Up to 120 million pounds of dry powder blending products annually