Dough, Dairy Feed Rutherford County Manufacturing
Published Jun 12, 2009
A healthy portion of Rutherford County’s bread and butter involves making bread and butter. Or at least bread and milk products.
The county is home to a full menu of food-production operations, including baking giants General Mills and Rich Products, vegetable processor Taylor Farms, Heritage Farms Dairy, Murfreesboro Pure Milk Products and Lewis Brothers, the producer of Bunny Bread, an American classic. Such consumer staples are part of a good economic mix; even in slow economies, people buy bread and milk.
Company executives praise the region for good distribution access and loyal employees.
At Heritage Farms Dairy, for example, turnover among a workforce of 200 is less than 5 percent, and attendance is 99.7 percent, says Jeff Phillips, the company’s manager of human resources.
Each month, Heritage Farms produces 4 million gallons of milk and culture products, such as yogurt, cottage cheese and dip, plus fresh juices.
The company is owned by Kroger and supplies 205 of the grocery giant’s stores in the Southeast, though it also has contracts with other food stores.
“We have that capacity and flexibility,” Phillips says. “All of it is perishable. Nothing is frozen. Most of it is processed and shipped the same day.”
For Rich Products, frozen is a big part of what it does. The plant, which once was considered the largest frozen-dough facility in the world, makes dough for 350 types of cookies, sweet rolls, dinner rolls, French bread, pizza and muffins.
“We pride ourselves on being the brand behind the brand. We prefer that our customers get the recognition,” says Bill Calder, manufacturing director for the Rutherford County plant and several others, including two other Rich’s operations in Tennessee.
The plant employs 350 people, and Calder raves about them. “It is a great labor force,” he says. “It shows in the abundance of willing workers. People here traditionally want to work.”
The General Mills operation is big, too, employing more than 800 people and making it one of the county’s largest private-sector employers.
The plant runs 24/7, making Pillsbury refrigerated dough products and Yoplait yogurt. The yogurt facility was built in 2001 and expanded significantly in 2007, says Pat Murphy, plant manager.
“We expect to continue to grow, maybe not as much in jobs but in volume,” he says. “All our products have a relatively short shelf life, so we manufacture to demand.”
Demand remains strong, and General Mills, Murphy says, “has invested significant capital in this site.”
All three executives tout the location as ideal for serving the Southeast and much of the rest of the country.
A solid school system translates into a good flow of qualified workers, and the overall business climate is attractive, they say.
“It is a friendly, really cooperative community,” Calder says. “It is an easy place to do business.”
Story by Pamela Coyle
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