releases: http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=FC91ACF5-9685-4DF0-AF47-256EF2327A2D
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
This data as json
| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=FC91ACF5-9685-4DF0-AF47-256EF2327A2D | Smiles abound as officials inaugurate cheese plant | 2014-10-17 | 2014 | 2014-10 | Republican | House | SD | Kristi Noem | N000184 | noem.house.gov | legacy | Tri-State Neighbor Antoine Fievet told the crowd at the inauguration ceremony for the new Mini Babybel plant in Brookings, S.D., in early October that his great-great grandfather started the company in France in 1865. The chairman and CEO of the Paris-based Bel Co. said that after all those years, the biggest investment ever by the longtime family company has been taking place in South Dakota. The Brookings plant, Bel’s third in the United States will use about 500,000 pounds of milk per day to produce 1.5 million Mini Babybel portions every day with a production capacity of more than 22 million pounds of cheese every year. The milk will come from two dairy co-ops in the region, Dairy Farmers of America and Land O’ Lakes. The $144 million facility, with the latest in technology and the size of four football fields, will employ 215 people with the workforce expected to increase to 250 by the end of the year. There is room at the 48-acre site to double the plant’s production sometime down the road and employ as many as 400 people. Fievet, who spent some years in America after the company first moved to this country in 1970, said its mission is to “share smiles with families” and ensure that its products continue to be innovative. The innovation has been achieved with all of the new technology at the Brookings plant. Frederic Nalis, president and CEO of Bel Brands USA, said sales of Mini Babybels were up 24 percent in 2013 and have tripled in the past five years. Such numbers convinced company officials that it made sense to build the plant in Brookings. Sales in the U.S. account for 75 percent of the product sold outside of France, making the U.S. the No. 1 market for Mini Babybels in the world since the product was introduced in this country in 1979. At the ribbon-cutting, held at the Swiftel Center because of the cold, windy weather that prevented the event from being held in a tent outside the plant just off Interstate 29, it was mostly a big “thank you” to all of the people involved – from South Dakota state officials to Brookings City Council members and all of those from Bel who chose South Dakota in January 2012 when the choice was down to two states. South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, who grew up milking dairy cows on his family farm near Dell Rapids, described in detail a trip made to Bel Brands USA headquarters in Chicago in May 2011 when a delegation made a pitch to have the company build in Brookings. He recalled the team of former state agriculture commissioner Walt Bones, South Dakota State University dairy science department head Vikram Mistry, state commissioner of economic development Pat Costello, Brookings Mayor Tim Reed and others who talked about the state’s business climate, the SDSU dairy program that could supply trained workers, the robust milking operations in the region and the dedicated and hardworking workforce. Bel officials noted similarly in their comments that those were the main reasons for selecting Brookings. Expanding on those selling points, Daugaard noted that the number of dairy cows, currently at about 97,000 in the state, is expected to increase by about 20,000 to 117,000 cows through more and expanded dairies already permitted. That’s still far below the approximately 250,000 dairy cows South Dakota had during its peak in the 1960s. However, the numbers fell as low as 80,000 before the current rebound. The governor also reported that seven California dairy producers and one from Wisconsin currently are looking at moving operations here. He said the numbers show the state’s commitment to continue to work to help Bel and others in the state long after they become operational. “Our door remains open, and we want to continue to help you find success,” Daugaard told the French delegation. He also said the SDSU dairy department is one of only two in the nation with a program offering both training in dairy production and dairy processing. He said the hardworking people of South Dakota are the state’s biggest selling point, adding and that he often hears leaders of other companies say they have their most productive plants in the state because of those employees. “In January of 2012 when you chose Brookings, you made us smile,” Daugaard said. “Two years later, we are still smiling.” Among those smiling were U.S. Sen. John Thune and U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, both South Dakota Republicans. Thune joked that with all of the Norwegians, Germans and Swedes in the state, “we are delighted to now have our first French settlement.” On the federal level, he said, his office will continue to work on securing trade agreements and expanding export markets. Noem complimented Francine Moudry, who oversaw the two-year construction project, calling her a “rock star” in the way she handled her duties and became the face of the company in Brookings and the state. Moudry plans to stay in Brookings with plans to lead other possible company construction efforts around the country. Noem said she thinks the new federal farm bill gives the dairy industry a stable safety net that can benefit producers and processing companies. Reed said it’s so nice after the recent process of attracting the company and then having the structure being built that the operation and its employees are finally a part of the community. He said that when he first read and learned about the company, he knew it should move to his city because of its reputation for caring for the environment, its workers and its customers. “Every time I drive by the plant, I smile, too,” Reed said. The Mini Babybels, also manufactured at a company plant in Leitchfield, Ky., are individually wrapped in signature red wax and cellophane and come in seven varieties. The product is sold in grocery and specialty cheese stores in six-, 10- and 14-count multipacks and also is available in new single-serving units in convenience and drug stores. The company’s Laughing Cow cheese wedges also are made at Leitchfield. The company has 28 production facilities in 25 countries and posted sales of $3.5 billion last year. It employs almost 11,000 people. The other U.S. plant is in Little Chute, Wis. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |