Miyoko’s Creamery plans to expand staff 25% at larger Sonoma County plant

The producer of plant-based “cheese” and “butter” products adds 19,000 square feet to its Sonoma County headquarters and plans to increase staff by 25%.|

Miyoko’s Creamery plans to expand its Petaluma base of operations by two-thirds and its workforce by one-quarter to satisfy consumer hunger for its plant-based “cheese” and “butter” products.

The company has inked a new lease for its headquarters and production facility on Lakeville Highway at Marina Avenue, expanding to 48,000 square feet from 29,000 square feet there previously, according to facility owner Basin Street Properties.

“It’s an exciting time for our company, and for food culture in general,” said founder Miyoko Schinner in the deal announcement Wednesday. “We continue to improve upon and deliver our delicious plant-based cheese and butter products and consumers flock to them as they become more educated in how their food choices affect not only their own health, but the broader environment. COVID has only intensified this awareness as consumers are spending more time at home assessing their health behaviors and food choices.”

Schinner said the company has grown 100% a year since 2017, and the workforce in that time frame is up from 40 employees to 160 employees now. The plan is to grow to 200 employees next year.

“The additional space will provide much needed offices and improved space for our R&D demo kitchen, where we can share new products with buyers and to a broader audience via social media,” Schinner said.

Miyoko’s Creamery started in Marin County in 2014 then expanded to Petaluma two years later. Schinner is an author of several vegan cookbooks, a former co-host of the national PBS cooking show “Vegan Mashup” and a founding board member of the Plant Based Foods Association.

The company also plans to expand its management team with “veteran leadership.”

The 71,000-square-foot, two-building Marina Avenue complex had been built as the headquarters for Legacy Marketing Group. The company is set to be moved to 2,800 square feet in 5341 Old Redwood Highway at the north end of Petaluma in September, according to the firm’s website and Basin Street Properties, also the owner of that building.

Christina DeRockere represented Miyoko’s in the lease amendment and in the original 2016 lease. Basin Street represented itself in the Miyoko’s and Legacy deals.

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