A model of cleanliness and efficiency, it was Borden's first commercially successful plant.Demand for condensed milk was high due to the Civil War, and over 200 dairy farmers supplied 20,000 gallons of milk each day.

In 1879, the plant expanded and a new brick structure was erected around the existing wood building. Construction occurred while the plant continued its operations in the older structure.

The Borden factory flourished for over fifty years. Following construction of the Croton Reservoir System, which flooded much of the area's viable farmland early in the twentieth century, production at the plant ceased.

 In 1935, the building was ravaged by fire. Today, only part of the main factory building and a small outbuilding remain of what was once one of Brewster's most important industries.