French food company Bel Group is investing $200 million to double production of Babybel cheese at its factory in South Dakota, company officials said this week.
The company officially broke ground on the project at its plant in Brookings on Wednesday. It would double the facility’s annual production capacity from the current 10,000 tons up to 20,000 tons, as well as double its milk sourcing from dairy farms mainly in South Dakota and neighboring states.
The expansion, one of Bel’s largest investments in the U.S. to date, is expected to add 150 jobs in Brookings.
Bel officials said the project positions it for long-term growth in the U.S., which has grown to become the company’s largest market and where its retail sales doubled between 2018 and 2024.
"The United States is a strategic market and a key engine of growth for Bel," Bel Group CEO Cécile Béliot said in a statement. "Expanding our Brookings facility reflects our commitment to investing locally, strengthening domestic production, and supporting sustained demand for our brands.”
The company last year completed a $10 million expansion of its facility in Northeast Wisconsin, which added production of its Laughing Cow cheese.
