DECATURE, Ill. — Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) celebrated a major milestone with the grand opening of its first owned-and-operated ice cream production facility outside Oregon on June 4, 2025. The newly renovated plant in Decatur, Illinois, marks a key step in the 116-year-old cooperative’s national expansion strategy.
Rather than a traditional ribbon-cutting, the event featured a playful “topping the sundae” ceremony attended by employees, families, local officials, and media. The plant now proudly displays the TCCA Morning Star ship logo and several large Tillamook signs on the exterior.
TCCA president David Booth shared the cooperative’s growth journey, noting the company’s decision in 2012 to expand beyond the Pacific Northwest. “We tested our growth model and proved it a year ahead of schedule,” Booth said. “By 2017, we made the decision to take the brand national.”
The Decatur plant, purchased in November 2022 for $2.5 million, underwent extensive renovations costing between $60 million and $75 million — more than initially estimated. Mike Bever, TCCA’s EVP and chief supply chain officer, likened the extensive updates to a home renovation show, revealing challenges like worn concrete floors reinforced with a new steel superstructure to ensure durability.
Originally built in 1918 by Swift & Co. and later owned by Prairie Farms, the facility produced ice cream until 2022 before closing. The revamped plant now boasts a production capacity of 15.5 million gallons per year across all 32 Tillamook ice cream flavors, with 19 currently commissioned. The company emphasizes sourcing ingredients locally when possible, aside from region-specific items like Oregon strawberries.
With 50 new jobs created so far, TCCA expects further hiring as production scales. The Decatur facility more than doubles the capacity of its Oregon plant, enhancing the cooperative’s ability to maintain stringent quality control and support growing demand.
Strategically located in central Illinois, Decatur provides Tillamook improved access to consumers throughout the eastern U.S. This aligns with data showing over one million new buyers of Tillamook family-size ice cream in 2024, predominantly from the East Coast.
The new plant exemplifies Tillamook’s commitment to expanding its premium ice cream brand nationwide, leveraging increased capacity and streamlined production to meet growing consumer enthusiasm.
Related topics
- Popular New Forest Ice Cream Café Arrosto Up for Sale
- New Cereal-Infused Ice Cream Food Truck “Creamed” Rolls Into Raleigh’s Crabtree Valley Mall
- Tillamook Expands to Illinois With New Ice Cream Manufacturing Plant in Decatur
