Ben & Jerry's Pumps $14M into St. Albans Factory Expansion

Ben & Jerry's announced plans Tuesday for a $14 million expansion of its manufacturing facility in St. Albans, Vermont, a key site producing about two-thirds of the company's global ice cream supply. The project adds 40,000 square feet, including a new wastewater treatment plant, warehouse and packaging room, with completion targeted for November. Located in northwest Vermont's Franklin County, the St. Albans plant processes massive volumes of the iconic brand's flavors for worldwide distribution.

The expansion addresses surging production needs, increasing capacity by 15 to 20 percent at the facility. Waterbury, another Vermont hub, handles North American production alongside St. Albans, while global sites include Unilever plants in the Netherlands and Ontario. This investment sustains hundreds of local jobs in St. Albans, where the company has operated since acquiring the site in the 1980s, embedding it in Vermont's dairy-rich economy.

Sustainability drives the project: the St. Albans plant now converts thousands of gallons of ice cream waste into biogas, feeding Vermont's electric grid. Ben & Jerry's has long championed Vermont dairy programs and humane standards, like cage-free eggs, aligning expansion with environmental goals. As demand grows for plant-based and core flavors, this bolsters Vermont's role in the $50 billion global ice cream market.