This area had been a center of dairy farming and cheese production since the nineteenth century.

Kraft Foods had operated a cheese plant in South Edmeston starting in the year 1920.

They originally produced Philadelphia brand cream cheese.

Following its closure, the plant was bought by the company Agro Farma under Turkish entrepreneur Hamdi Ulukaya.

Thanks to the surge in popularity of Greek yogurt, as of 2011, the company employs 600 workers at its South Edmeston headquarters and production facility, and continues to expand.