US dairy group HP Hood is set to invest $120m in expanding its dairy hub in a business park in New York.

The site, which HP Hood purchased from Dairy Farmers of America in 2017, will receive a 32,500-square-foot extension.

The expansion project also pledges to create 48 new jobs while retaining 455 full-time employees at the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park in Batavia.

HP Hood’s expansion “accommodates its automatic storage and retrieval system (ASRS) refrigerated warehouse”, according to a statement from the Genesee County Economic Development Centre (GCEDC).

The project will also include new batching and processing systems and “other upgrades which will allow the company to increase capacity and begin a new production line”.

GCEDC President and CEO Steve Hyde said: “The dairy hub of the north-east at the Genesee Valley Agribusiness Park has built itself upon the qualities of our workforce, our dedicated farming families, and our strategic location close to major consumers.

“The economic infrastructure generated by shovel-ready sites and workforce development programs has set up HP Hood and our robust food and beverage industry for sustained success.”

Just Food has contacted HP Hood for comment.

Founded in 1846 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the business is a major dairy processor with 13 manufacturing plants across the US.

The group’s portfolio of national brands and licensed products includes Hood, Heluva Good houmous, Lactaid dairy products and Blue Diamond Almond Breeze, among others.