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Ohly Begins Construction on New Eau Claire Facility

The $274 million manufacturing campus will create 100 jobs and reach final completion in 2035.

Updated on Oct. 29, 2026 in Manufacturing

Steel girder framework of a large industrial building rising over a sprawling, cleared construction site with piles of earth.
ABF Ingredients began construction on a new $274 million Ohly manufacturing facility in Eau Claire, with the North American campus expansion expected to finish by 2035. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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ABF Ingredients began construction on an Ohly manufacturing facility in Eau Claire in mid-September 2026. This 70-acre project in the Gateway Northwest Business Park marks the company’s new North American campus, with operations expected to begin in spring 2028.

Why it matters

The $274 million facility expands Ohly's North American footprint, shifting operational capacity from its existing Boyceville plant. Local manufacturers should monitor the multi-phase construction and infrastructure expansion on Venture Drive as the site scales through 2035.

The total project investment is $274 million across a 70-acre site. The phased development will ultimately span 157,000 square feet and generate 90 to 100 new jobs.

The players

ABF Ingredients

A global specialty ingredient manufacturer that supplies high-value functional components to the food and industrial sectors.

Ohly

A division of ABF Ingredients specializing in yeast-based ingredients and fermentation products.

Eau Claire City Council

The local governing body responsible for land-use approvals and industrial infrastructure development in Eau Claire.

The details

The facility will be built in three phases, beginning with a 22,000-square-foot spray drying plant. To accommodate the increase in heavy industrial traffic, the city is extending Venture Drive into the Gateway Northwest Business Park. The site is expected to reach a final total footprint of 157,000 square feet by 2035, significantly expanding the regional processing capabilities of the manufacturer.

Timeline

  1. April 2026: Eau Claire City Council approved the land purchase.

  2. August 2026: Soil-leveling work commenced at the site.

  3. Mid-September 2026: Official groundbreaking took place.

  4. Spring 2028: The first phase is expected to be operational.

  5. Through 2035: Long-term development and expansion is planned.

Market Landscape

This project follows established regional patterns of leveraging business park infrastructure to attract large-scale manufacturing capital. It mirrors the strategic consolidation efforts often seen in Wisconsin’s industrial sector, where firms upgrade campus capabilities to streamline logistics.

Operators in Eau Claire should factor in increased heavy construction traffic near Gateway Northwest Business Park through 2035. Suppliers and service providers should note the facility's ramp-up schedule, as hiring for the first 30 phase-one positions will likely precede the spring 2028 opening.

The takeaway

This $274 million project signals a long-term commitment to regional processing capacity that will influence local labor demand and logistics for years. Operators should track local infrastructure updates on Venture Drive to anticipate potential site access changes during the three-phase construction timeline.

Further reading

For more on local sector growth, see Manufacturing.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Volumeone.

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In your area, do large manufacturing developments generally improve the local economy?