North American Bakers Yeast division of Canadian company Lallemand is due to complete its newly constructed yeast plant in Memphis, Tennessee by the end of the month.
The yeast plant will provide the company with a boost to production capacity in a bid to meet rising demand for yeast and yeast-based products in the markets it serves - baking, winemaking, nutrition and pharmaceutical industries.
Named after deceased chairman emeritus Roland Chagnon, the new facility was officially inaugurated on 3 February 2003 by Lallemand's president, Jean Chagnon.
According to Lallemand, Memphis was chosen as the location because of transportation efficiencies, good infrastructure and effective local support. This recent addition to the Lallemand structure joins other yeast plants in Montreal, Canada, Baltimore, Maryland, Bakersfield, California, and several European locations including Austria, Germany and Estonia.
Lallemand, after 70 years in the business still privately held, specialises in the development, production, and marketing of yeasts and bacteria. The company has two major divisions: North American Bakers Yeast and Ingredients (based in Chicago, Illinois) and Specialty Yeast and Bacteria (based in Toulouse, France). Administrative offices for the parent company are in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.