Chobani

There's no question that people are suffering from the financial toll of the COVID-19 in Idaho. Now, Twin Falls-based Yogurt producing giant Chobani has granted $200,000 to nonprofits in partnership with the Idaho Community Foundation. Leaders from the company and the nonprofit say the money will be used to support community wellness.

The dairy industry is big business in Idaho, and is one of the strongest sectors of our agriculture economy. But what does the future of dairy farming look like in the state?

The Idaho Foodbank is facing unprecedented demand due to widespread layoffs and uncertainty amidst coronavirus. Through a recent grant provided by Chobani, the Idaho Foodbank purchased a new refrigerated food truck specifically to serve South Central Idaho. 

Early on a Monday morning, Erin Hiatt is baking some sweet treats. She fills up her measuring cup with water, adds it to the mixing bowl and turns on the KitchenAid.

Governor Little, Twin Falls Mayor Shawn Barigar and Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya delivered remarks before a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday at the company's new research and development center in Twin Falls.

Last week Chobani announced a new certification program called Milk Matters that it says will help the dairy industry, which is struggling due to low milk prices.

A lawsuit filed in May by yogurt-maker Chobani against Twin Falls claims the assessed value of its massive production facility is too high. Now, a proposed settlement could see the Twin Falls School District paying the dairy titan.

At an event in Twin Falls Monday, Chobani and Clif Bar announced they support Proposition 2. The effort to expand Medicaid to thousands of people who currently make too much to qualify for subsidized health care has garnered support from the right and the left.

Yogurt giant Chobani is at odds with Twin Falls over the assessed value of its facilities in the Magic Valley. While both sides describe the tiff as amicable, the dollar amounts involved are huge.

Chobani has announced that it is offering six weeks of 100 percent paid maternal and paternal leave for its employees. The yogurt manufacturer's Twin Falls plant is the largest of its kind in the world and employs nearly 1,000 Idahoans.

The founder and CEO of Chobani has no regrets about moving his Greek yogurt company to south-central Idaho, a region embroiled in the national debate over refugee resettlement that spread to company boycotts by far-right bloggers and conspiracy theorists.

Alex Jones has both a radio show and a website by the name of InfoWars. The Chobani company has a large greek yogurt processing complex in Twin Falls. The plant has more than 1,000 employees, including hundreds of refugees.

In a 5-to-2 vote Monday, the Twin Falls City Council decided to label the community a “Neighborly City.”

In the run-up to the decision, the city council heard more than three hours of public comment at meetings over the last month.

The “Neighborly City” label is a tamer version of declarations other cities have made calling themselves either “Welcoming” or “Sanctuary Cities” where federal immigration law is either downplayed or outright flouted.

Alex Jones, the creator of the right-wing radio and online program InfoWars, vows he’s coming to Idaho to validate claims he’s made against Greek yogurt manufacturer Chobani.

Jones is being sued for defamation by Chobani. In posts made on his InfoWars website and Youtube channel earlier this month, Jones claims the yogurt company is “importing migrant rapists” to Twin Falls where the company has its manufacturing plant. The false claim stems from a 2016 incident involving three refugee minors who recently pleaded guilty to assaulting a 5-year-old girl.

Idaho’s dairy industry will be watching the new Trump administration’s trade policy, as one of the state’s biggest sectors is bracing for a flat year.

The president of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association told an agriculture conference last month that any increase in Idaho’s milk production would be exported abroad.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts that by November of this year, dairy exports will be 8.9 billion pounds – that’s slightly higher than last November’s 8.7 billion pounds.

Chobani says it is giving its employees an ownership stake in the privately held company.

The Greek yogurt maker says the shares being distributed would amount to 10 percent of the company's future value in the event of a sale or initial public offering. It says each of its approximately 2,000 full-time employees will receive shares based on their role and time spent with the company.

Chobani says CEO and founder Hamdi Ulukaya is meeting with employees this week to talk about the plan in person.