Saputo is planning to expand its newly established presence in the city of Franklin with the addition of a new, 311,000-square-foot industrial building.
Documents submitted by Minneapolis-based real estate firm Likewise Partners to the state’s Department of Natural Resources say the building is planned for a 21-acre site located near the northwest corner of County Line Road and 27th Street.
The development includes plans for the 311,000-square-foot building along with truck docks, a trailer parking lot and a car parking lot. Saputo would lease the building once it’s completed. About 300,000 square feet of the building will be used as cooler space while the remaining 11,000 square feet is planned office space.
“In addition to this lot, two other future sites to the east are intended for development to make this area an overall business park that includes public roadways and utility infrastructure,” according to the submitted DNR documents.
The need for additional space has been an issue for Saputo since 2022 and the company began planning for a second Franklin facility in July 2023.
The new building will be located less than a mile south of Saputo’s newest cutting and wrapping facility, located within the Franklin Corporate Park.
In November 2021, the Canadian dairy company unveiled plans for the 340,000-square-foot facility located southwest of West Oakwood Road and South 27th Street. A representative with Saputo previously told BizTimes Milwaukee the company invested $175 million to build the facility, which will employ approximately 600 people.
Saputo is based in Montreal, Canada, and it produces and distributes dairy products such as cheese, fluid milk, extended shelf-life milk and cream products, cultured products and dairy ingredients.
Representatives from the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday, nor did city of Franklin planning staff.