Canadian firm Lallemand is to complete its new yeast plant this month, the company announced.
The American Yeast facility in Memphis, Tennessee, said to be the newest in North America, began commercial production in mid-January. The additional production capacity will help Lallemand to better meet growing demand for yeast and yeast-based products in the food and nutraceutical markets.
The new facility was officially inaugurated on February 3, 2003, by Lallemand president Jean Chagnon. The plant was named in honor of the company's recently deceased chairman Roland Chagnon who purchased Lallemand over 50 years ago and was the driving force behind the decision to construct the new facility.
The Memphis location is expected to offer transportation efficiencies, good infrastructure and effective local support.
Privately-held Lallemand also operates yeast plants in Montreal, Canada; Baltimore, Maryland; Bakersfield, California; and several European locations including Austria, Germany and Estonia.
Lallemand also specializes in bacteria and its Institut Rosell-Lallemand unit supplies pharmaceuticals, probiotic dietary supplements, yeast cell fractions and mineral enriched yeasts to global markets.