Last updated on February 9th, 2017 at 10:50 am
Tyler, Texas-based Brookshire Grocery Co. (BGC) has sold its ice cream, dairy and water plants to Springfield, Missouri-based Hiland Dairy. Chairman and CEO Brad Brookshire said BGC’s “focus has always been on our retail stores, which our manufacturing plants supported.
“But with an abundant offering of quality products now available through the supplier community, we were certainly interested when Hiland approached us about buying these plants. This decision made sense on a number of levels, and the assurance from Hiland that they will retain the employees, supply our stores with the same great products and expand the operations at these plants in Tyler confirmed to us that this would be a good fit,” Brookshire added.
Hiland Dairy CEO Gary Aggus said the dairy began planning an expansion to Texas five years ago, when it started supplying dairy products to select markets.
He added, “Our history and commitment to economic development in the communities we serve is strong. In that spirit, we are committed to growing these facilities in Tyler by investing capital dollars to expand our production capabilities.”
Farmer-owned Hiland Dairy operates 12 processing plants in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas, and has 49 distribution centers. It employs 2,600 people.
The deal is expected to close in March.
BGC closed its bakery in Tyler last year. In January, New Mill Capital Holdings conducted an online auction for equipment from the central cake product and bakery commissary at 13157 U.S. Highway 271. Among the items sold were late-model cake and bakery processing and packaging equipment, including ovens, mixers, spiral freezers and icing and decorating equipment.
The bakery opened in 1995 and employed about 40 people.
