Come Oct. 11, Gustafson’s Dairy Farm will cease operations and close its Green Cove Springs, Florida, processing plant. The reason: consumer tastes have changed, according to a report by Teresa Stepzinski in the St. Augustine Record.
Today owned by Southeast Milk Inc., a dairy cooperative in Belleview, Gustafson’s once was one of the Southeast’s largest family-owned and operated dairy distributors, according to the article.
Economically, closure of the 105-year-old operation, which came as a shock to county officials and residents alike, will hurt the area. The city, for instance, currently receives around $700,000 from the plant in unincorporated Clay County for electricity it uses and that is provided by the city.
Residents, even those who consider the dairy’s products high-priced, say they’re sorry it’s closing because the facility has been an iconic institution in the county for decades. The closure will put around 36 people out of work and cause a loss of tax revenue.
Frank and Agnes Gustafson founded the dairy in 1908. When Agnes began churning butter in a small shed behind the couple’s house and supplied the dairy products to guests at nearby hotels, it didn’t take long for popularity of the products to catch on.
After expanding their herd, the couple relocated the dairy in 1925 to its current site on County Road 15-A. It once spanned 9,600 acres and offered milk products and fruit juices. Southeast Milk bought the dairy in 2004. PD
—Summarized by PD staff from cited source
