Tillamook opens first owned-and-operated facility outside of Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An Oregon-headquartered dairy brand is expanding its reach on the East Coast.

Tillamook County Creamery Association has announced the opening of its first owned-and-operated manufacturing facility outside of the Beaver State. A portion of Tillamook Ice Cream will now be produced in Decatur, Ill.

According to the company, the new facility “marks a key milestone” for the 116-year-old brand.

“This is an exciting step forward for our co-op, and we are energized by the new opportunities that the Decatur manufacturing plant opens for TCCA,” TCCA President and CEO David Booth said in the announcement. “Decatur offers strategic access to our growing customer and consumer base, and we hope this new production facility will help enable Tillamook to become the ice cream of choice for consumers in the Eastern United States.”

The company has reported that Tillamook Ice Cream is already the fastest-growing family-size brand of its kind in the U.S. With the addition of the Midwest facility, owners expect to produce another 15.5 million gallons of ice cream each year.

Around 4.4 million new customers — including one million in 2024 alone — have purchased the family-size ice cream since 2021, according to TCCA. The association noted ice cream sales have grown by more than 13% in the past year, and a majority of the new customers reside on the East Coast.

The Decatur manufacturing facility’s opening has brought 50 new jobs. Tillamook plans to bring in more workers as production continues, and also work alongside officials to revitalize the Illinois city.

The dairy brand isn’t the only Oregon-founded company to recently announce expansion.

Portland’s The Sports Bra, which opened as the world’s first women-only sports bar in 2022, has revealed it will open franchises in St. Louis, Boston, Las Vegas and Indianapolis. Meanwhile, other brands like Jollibee have opened their first Oregon location as part of their Pacific Northwest expansion.