VALDOSTA, GA. (WTXL) — Walmart’s new dairy plant is officially open in Valdosta — and it's about to change how your milk gets from the farm to your fridge.
- Walmart’s Valdosta dairy plant is a $350M investment creating 400+ jobs with wages topping $60K/year.
- Milk will come from local farms within 60 miles, supplying 650+ stores across the Southeast.
- Watch the video below to hear about how this benefits local dairy farmers.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The state-of-the-art, $350 million milk processing plant is Walmart’s second owned-and-operated dairy facility — and now one of Valdosta’s largest employers.
Spanning more than 300,000 square feet, the plant will supply over 650 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores and create more than 400 new jobs, with wages expected to top $60,000 a year.
The mission: build a stronger, more local, more reliable supply chain, with milk sourced directly from North Florida and South Georgia dairy farms.
For farmers like Johan Heikoop, who helps manage Milk-A-Way Dairy in Webster and K&H in Mayo, this plant means customers can finally “buy local” — at a big-box store.
"The idea's that you can buy local right here at your Walmart. Our farm is about 60 miles from here. It's going to be going into Walmart stores. So you can literally go to your Walmart and buy local from local farmers — and there's no better investment in hometown communities."
And for longtime dairy producer Gary Keyes, the partnership provides stability for smaller farms.
"My uncle always said nothing happens till you make the sale — and it's good Walmart has the sales. They value fresh milk, so we’ll be able to produce what they need."
Inside the plant, Senior Director of Manufacturing Gabriel Ochoa says the local economic impact will stretch far beyond the facility walls.
"Think about 400 jobs that didn’t exist a few months ago. Where will those workers shop? Where will they go? They're gonna buy homes, buy groceries, go to furniture stores, shopping malls… It's like a fountain that will continue to overflow."
Farmers say the new plant will create a steadier market for their milk — keeping millions of dollars circulating right here in Valdosta.
In Valdosta, I'm Malia Thomas, reporting for ABC27.
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