Suntado Opens Vertically Integrated Dairy Processing Plant in Idaho

Tetra Pak, a pioneer and world-leading food processing and packaging solutions company, has announced that Suntado LLC, a contract manufacturer in dairy and other beverages, has opened a state-of-the-art facility in Burley, Idaho.

With commercial readiness expected just in time for Dairy Month (June), the facility can process up to 1 million pounds of local milk per day into shelf-stable and ESL milk and other liquid dairy products, many of which will be packaged in Tetra Pak® cartons.

“Shelf-stable products are one of the most exciting ways Tetra Pak is helping to move the beverage industry forward,” said Seth Teply, president and CEO of Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada. “With a longer shelf life and no need to refrigerate until opened, shelf-stable dairy products support the transformation of food systems by increasing access to safe food and reducing food waste. We’re excited that Suntado chose to work with us to create the innovative dairy and beverage facility of the future.” 

Tetra Pak’s shelf-stable packaging allows food and beverages to stay safe for long periods of time without additives, preservatives or refrigeration before opening, offering cost savings and production efficiencies while minimizing food waste due to spoilage and reducing the cost and environmental impact of the transportation and storage of finished goods. Additionally, Tetra Pak’s unfinished packaging material ships in a convenient roll, reducing the cost and impact of freight and storage space when compared with most other packaging formats.

With capacity and capability to produce a wide variety of dairy-based and other beverages, and a vertically-integrated milk supply, Suntado offers solutions that cater to a diverse range of needs. Located in the third-largest dairy-producing state of Idaho, the facility is owned by Dirk Reitsma and Jesus Hurtado, who respectively own 6,000 organic and 30,000 conventional dairy cows within 20 miles of the processing facility, thus supplying fresh local milk to the plant.

“This vertically integrated facility and our product offerings are completely different than anything out there right now,” said Tory Nichols, office of the CEO, Suntado. “I’m energized by the fact that we’ve built this plant from the ground up, creating a secure, locally-sourced milk supply. This facility will offer countless brands the flexibility and scalability they seek, and Tetra Pak’s input and shelf-stable expertise has proven invaluable to our efforts along the way.” 

About the facility:

• Owned by experienced and large-scale organic and conventional dairy farmers, Suntado has a unique advantage in providing a reliable and high-quality local milk supply. This allows Suntado to guarantee the freshest and finest ingredients for dairy-based beverages.
• This vertically-integrated facility processes and packages products in one location.
• Suntado is not producing its own brand. This facility will instead enable retailers and national brands to private-label beverage products. 
• The initial focus is on shelf-stable and ESL milk, cream and other dairy-based beverages, with the ability to expand beyond dairy into additional beverages.

About the Tetra Pak® equipment:

• The initial project includes five Tetra Pak shelf-stable and ESL packaging lines:
• Two Tetra Pak® TT/3 filling machines for production of Tetra Top® packages in 500 mL (~16.9 oz), 750 mL (~25.4 oz), and 1000mL (~33.8 oz) sizes
• Two Tetra Pak® A3/Flex aseptic filling machines for production of Tetra Brik® Aseptic Edge packages in 500mL (~16.9 oz) and 1000 mL (~33.8 oz) sizes
• One Tetra Pak® A3/Compact Flex aseptic filling machine for production of Tetra Prisma® Aseptic packages with DreamCap™ 26 in a 250 mL (~8.5 oz) size