More than a million cows in Central California help make the state the nation's leading milk producer. So it's natural the region is home to some huge cheese and ice cream manufacturing facilities.

Leprino Foods opened the world's largest mozzarella cheese plant in Lemoore.

      Leprino Foods opened the world's largest mozzarella plant last year in Lemoore, taking advantage of some of the seven million pounds of milk processed daily in Kings County. The 500,000-sq.-ft. (46,450 sq.-m.) facility involved a $150-million investment.
      Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Holdings is spending $100 million to triple capacity at its Bakersfield plant, creating 250 jobs. Dreyer's is adding 400,000 sq. ft. (37,160 sq. m.) to its facility, which was built as a Nestlé ice cream plant in 1988.