This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Longmont Dairy Farms recently expanded their manufacturing facility to offer new products and meet the changing needs of local consumers.
After more than 52 years serving the Front Range, Katie Hermann and her brother, Dan Boyd, co-owners of Longmont Dairy Farms, decided it was time to increase their space. Two years ago they began the process of drafting up plans and in August of 2017, they broke ground on the plant expansion.
Although the plant had undergone several prior renovations, its small footprint did not allow for much growth and soon the dairy plant found itself at capacity.
"With the changing needs for consumers we decided to expand our product line, so in order to both update and expand the size of our plant for growth and then also to increase our product lines, we decided it was time for a plant expansion," says Hermann.
"Households have different needs for what they want to buy and we wanted to give our customers more options," offering options such as "non-dairy beverages for customers that may have milk allergies," continues Hermann.
These options include an unsweetened, fresh-brewed tea, a cold-brewed coffee, a cold cafe au lait and flavored coffee creamers. The tea is sourced from India, and once brewed will remain unsweetened. Silver Canyon Coffee Co. in Boulder is aiding Longmont Dairy Farms in the brewing of the cold-brew coffee and the tea.
While the new expansion has allowed Longmont Dairy Farms the space necessary to make these products, they have not launched them yet, with the exception of the French Vanilla and Hazelnut creamers, which are now being offered to customers.
In addition to adding new products to their line, Longmont Dairy Farms upgraded to a new conveyor system. The new system "gets everything throughout the plant. From getting the dirty bottles and washing them through the bottle washer and then going through to get filled, and then cased and into the cooler," says Hermann.
"More than anything, this is to better serve our existing customers but will also allow us to grow."
Longmont Dairy Farms has been in the family since Hermann and Boyd's grandfather founded it in 1965. In 1988, their parents took over until Hermann and Boyd bought into the business in 2015.
On Tuesday, August 28, 2018, Hermann and her family are celebrating the ribbon cutting ceremony of the completed expansion with the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce.
Written in collaboration with Sergio R. Angeles.
