BLOCKVILLE – Electricians, welders and construction workers continue to prepare the former AFA Foods facility in Blockville for production by Empire Specialty Cheese Co., LLC.

Empire co-owner Tony Caparco took Industrial Development Agency officials and County Executive Vince Horrigan on a tour through the 95,000 square foot building Tuesday and said significant progress is underway.

Once production begins, 20 truck loads of whole milk will be delivered to the plant each week and stored in three separate tanks that each hold 40,000 gallons of milk.

Caparco said Empire currently sells ricotta and mozzarella cheese out of its other plant in Conewango Valley, which was founded in 2000 through a partnership with the Amish and employs 45 workers.

“We’re going to keep that open until we work everything out at our new location, and then we will hopefully keep it as a milk transfer station,” Caparco said, adding that production of cheese will triple due to the new space and the ability to house more equipment.

A delivery of 15,000 pounds of milk results in the production of 1,900 pounds of mozzarella cheese.

The byproduct is used to make ricotta.

“We’re going to be throwing a lot more cheese around here in eight hours than we do at our other site,” Caparco said.

Production is expected to be in full swing by March, with new hires brought on after the 45 employees from Conewango Valley start at the Blockville facility.

Installment of new equipment has caused delays, while the Industrial Development Agency officials were hopeful for production in December.

“We hope to be in full swing by the end of the first quarter of 2015,” Caparco said.

He and co-owner Jerry Matteis plan to grow the Empire workforce to 200 employees within the next five years at the facility.

“This is just another example of the success we’re building in Chautauqua County when we turn from the problems of a business leaving in our community,” Horrigan said, referring to meat production company AFA Foods, who left the area in 2012. “Now, to repurpose this building and welcome Empire Cheese here with new employees and great expansion is just a great success story and I couldn’t be more proud of the Industrial Development Agency team and everyone else that got it done.”

At the August meeting of the Chautauqua County Legislature, $616,000 in grants from the New York State Office of Community Renewal was approved to assist Empire in its establishment.

Empire had requested that the county apply for funding on its behalf to finance a portion of the cost of equipment and working capital required to establish operations.

Rich Dixon, chief financial officer of the IDA, added that the agency played a role in obtaining the grant funding but did not use tax-abatement initiatives.