Darigold, Port of Pasco Ink Deal for Global Scale Dairy Plant

The Port of Pasco’s commissioners unanimously approved the sale of approximately 150 acres of the Reimann Industrial Center to Darigold during a special commission meeting on Thursday, July 1. The company’s board of directors recently authorized the purchase and sale agreement and notified its members on June 30.

Darigold intends to bring the new facility online in the fall of 2023.

The commission’s action makes it possible for the port’s newest industrial park to welcome what will become the most sophisticated large scale milk protein facility in North America. Darigold plans to produce a new specialized protein powder and butter. More than 50 percent of the facility’s finished product is intended for export, with an emphasis on the Pacific Rim.
“As commissioners, we’re excited by Darigold’s decision to locate at the Reimann. As Darigold invests approximately $500 million, this is the largest private industrial development to ever occur at the Port of Pasco,” Commission President Jim Klindworth said. “The new jobs at the plant and the new jobs at dairy farms create extraordinary opportunities for Franklin County residents.”

Darigold has been working with the Port of Pasco since the fall of 2020 as part of its extensive Pacific Northwest search for the right location for its new facility. Darigold officials predict the capital investment will range between $450 and $500 million.

The region’s newest food and beverage facility will provide more than 1,000 jobs between onsite, indirect, supply chain, and services.

“We are thrilled to welcome Darigold to Pasco and the Reimann as the anchor tenant in the Port’s largest industrial park. It’s incredibly rare to attract a project of this size and scope,” Executive Director Randy Hayden said. “Darigold’s state-of-the-art facility will use the latest technology, serve as a model of sustainability, and create a new market for our region’s ag producers.”

A closing date on the land sale is contingent upon the Port of Pasco and its state and local partners meeting several time sensitive deadlines. The primary tasks involve the construction of infrastructure that will serve the Reimann and Darigold. The Reimann Industrial Center is located on the East side of Railroad Avenue, North of the port’s Pasco Processing Center.

“Our local and state partners creatively rolled up their sleeves to launch a plan that makes it possible to deliver critical infrastructure to the Reimann to serve the Darigold project,” Hayden said. “We’re especially grateful for the Washington State Legislature’s support of $7.5 million to cover part of the costs for water, wastewater, roads, and rail improvements.  The City of Pasco, Franklin County, Franklin PUD and TRIDEC are also making key investments.”

The Port of Pasco and Darigold expect to close on the land sale within 120 to 180 days. The extended due diligence phase provides both entities time to confirm that Washington State’s new and future climate legislation will not impact this project.  Darigold, like many of the state’s large food and beverage companies, is an energy intensive operation that relies on affordable and reliable energy resources to remain globally competitive.

“The new specialized protein and butter operation in the Port of Pasco’s Reimann Industrial Center facility is expected to accelerate our farmer-owned cooperative’s goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, cementing a longstanding tradition of continuous stewardship and sustainability improvements,” said Stan Ryan, president, and CEO of Darigold. “A cut in greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation combined with a suite of cutting-edge efficiency technologies is expected to offset per unit emissions by up to 25%. The new facility will also create approximately 200 new high-quality jobs onsite and over 1,000 jobs in the supporting services and supply chain.”