Jan 12, 2007 8:54 AM, from staff and wire reports

Brewster Dairy Inc, the nation's largest producer of Swiss cheese, has agreed to purchase the former Kraft Foods cheese production facility in Rupert ID.

Kraft halted production at the Rupert plant over the holidays and had been shutting the operation down. After Kraft leaves the plant, Brewster Dairy will start installing new cheese-producing equipment. Production likely will begin by Nov 1, 2007, according to Brewster Dairy.

A privately held corporation with production facilities in Brewster OH and Stockton IL, Brewster Dairy has been in operation for 40 years. More than 400 farms supply milk to these plants, which manufacture roughly 85 million pounds of Swiss cheese anually.