DECATUR, ILL. — Cinnaire has invested $7 million in New Markets Tax Credits to support the rehabilitation and expansion of the former Prairie Farms dairy plant into the Tillamook Decatur Creamery. The facility, located at 757 N. Morgan St. in Decatur, is being transformed into a modern 79,000-square-foot creamery to support Tillamook County Creamery Association’s (TCCA) production efforts in the eastern U.S. Construction began in June, and is slated for completion this month.
The project, which has revitalized the vacant building into a dedicated ice cream manufacturing plant, marks a significant expansion as TCCA’s first wholly owned and operated manufacturing facility outside of Oregon and its only facility dedicated solely to ice cream production. Tillamook is an Oregon-based dairy co-op and manufacturer known for its cheese, yogurt, butter and ice cream.
The Tillamook Decatur Creamery will create approximately 49 new full-time jobs. Originally opened in 1918 by Swift and Co., the Decatur plant was later acquired by Prairie Farms in 1977 where it served as an ice cream production facility until its closure in early 2022. TCCA is spending roughly $74 million adding automation, robotic palletizing and improving employee welfare spaces.