Walmart To Open Georgia Milk Processing Plant
Walmart is taking greater control of its milk assortment with the forthcoming opening of a new milk processing facility in Valdosta, Ga.
With groundbreaking on the plant scheduled for later this year, the new facility located in the south central portion of the Peach State near its border with Florida will create nearly 400 jobs and is scheduled to open in 2025.
Using ingredients sourced from local farmers, the plant will process and bottle a variety of milk options including gallon, half gallon, whole, 2%, 1%, skim and 1% chocolate milk for Walmart’s Great Value and Sam’s Club’s Member’s Mark brands. The products from the facility will serve more than 750 Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs in the Southeast.
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According to information posted on Walmart.com attributed to Bruce Heckman, vice president, Manufacturing, Private Brands, and Tyler Lehr senior vice president, Merchandising, Chilled, Adult Beverages and Convenience, the new facility when open will bolster Walmart’s capacity to meet the demand for high-quality milk, while making its supply chain more resilient, and building even more transparency around sourcing.
“Once opened, our milk processing facility in Valdosta, Georgia will be an important milestone to deliver on our commitment to provide customers access to the high-quality milk they expect at the Every Day Low Prices they rely on,” Heckman and Lehr said. “We’re excited about what this new facility means for our Walmart customers, regional farmers and for the community of Valdosta.”
The new facility is the latest step in Walmart's efforts to build a more resilient and transparent supply chain to deliver products. Walmart opened its first milk processing facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 2018. Additional investments include the opening of its first case-ready beef facility in Thomasville, Ga., and building a second case-ready beef facility in Olathe, Kan., as well as making equity investments and long-term commercial agreements with rancher-owned Sustainable Beef LLC and vertical farming company Plenty.