Daisy Brand could bring 255 new jobs making sour cream and cottage cheese to Boone

The Boone City Council has approved a proposal by dairy products maker Daisy Brand to locate a plant in Boone that would bring 255 jobs to the city.

The proposed development would represent an estimated $708 million investment, according to a resolution the council approved unanimously on Monday. The plant will make sour cream and cottage cheese.

"This project will be immensely beneficial to not only the city of Boone, but also Boone County and the entire central Iowa region. I am incredibly excited for the positive economic impact this project will bring and the continued success of Daisy brands and their impeccable line of dairy products," said Boone Mayor Elijah Stines.

In a written statement, council member David Byrd called the development "a transformative thing not just for Boone but the entire area."

With the Boone council’s approval, Daisy will apply to the Iowa Economic Development Authority for consideration of economic development benefits under the state’s High Quality Jobs program. The IEDA board meets Friday.

What products does Daisy Brand produce?

Daisy Brand, headquartered in Dallas, has plants in Garland, Texas; Casa Grande, Arizona; and Wooster, Ohio. It distributes its products in all 50 states and has the leading market share in both sour cream and cottage cheese, according to its website.

A family-owned business that started in Chicago in 1917, Daisy has more than doubled its employment in the last 15 years, according to its website, and features the slogan "a dollop of Daisy."

The company did not respond to phone calls seeking additional information Monday.

Daisy plant proposed in Boone as cottage cheese sales soar

An expansion of production capacity comes at a time when cottage cheese sales are on a significant upswing. Growth in cottage cheese sales has been attributed to #cottagecheese, which has more than 323 million views on TikTok, as young consumers, interested in adding protein to their diets, are discovering the product.

Tina Potthoff spokesperson for Hy-Vee, said cottage cheese sales for Iowa’s largest grocer are up 10% since the first of the year.

The resolution the Boone council approved Monday includes a property tax exemption of 100% for years one through three of the plant's operation and 74% for years four through 20. The city also would commit to a $9.6 million upgrade of its wastewater facilities to meet project specifications, an $800,000 upgrade of a wastewater lift station, $3 million for a reservoir to bolster its water supply and a 20% match for an estimated $800,400 in road improvements by the Iowa Department of Transportation.

The Daisy Brand plant would be in Boone's industrial park on the eastern side of the city.

Both council member Terry Moorman and City Administrator William Skare said improvements to the wastewater treatment system and roads within the industrial park were needed even before the Daisy proposal.

Moorman said discussions with Daisy "started months ago and everybody has been on board." He praised the Boone County Economic Development Growth Corp. for its work to bring Daisy to the area.

"They really stepped up their game," Moorman said of the economic development organization.

The proposal comes as the Fareway supermarket chain plans to move its corporate headquarters to Johnston from Boone later this year, shifting about 100 jobs out of Boone.

Kevin Baskins covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at kbaskins@registermedia.com.