By Julie Tomascik
Editor

A $350 million milk processing facility in Robinson is creating more than 400 jobs and opening new market opportunities for dairy farmers across Central Texas.

The facility is Walmart’s third owned and operated milk processing plant.

Company officials said the new plant streamlines the supply chain and helps move milk from farms to store shelves more efficiently.

“We’re able to connect from farms all the way to the customer’s tables and to the consumers who are consuming this great milk every day,” said Kalifa Hill, site senior director of Walmart’s Robinson facility, said. “It’s very important for what we’re doing here in the community, across Texas.”

At full capacity, the facility is expected to receive up to 65 truckloads of milk per day.

It will help Walmart “meet the demand for high-quality milk, make our supply chain more resilient, while increasing freshness by reducing the time from dairy farm to shelf, bringing more consistency, more transparency and more value to our customers,” said John Laney, executive vice president of Food for Walmart.

The new market is a welcome opportunity for dairy farmers like Keith Broumley of Hico who will supply milk to the plant.

“We’re just glad to be a supplier to a new facility in Texas, and that’s going to further our industry,” Broumley said.

He’ll provide about 200,000 pounds of milk per day—roughly 23,000 gallons—and have the opportunity to expand production over time.

As Texas’ population grows and demand for dairy increases, he said facilities like this one can help meet that need while supporting local farms.

“This is a great opportunity for us, and we feel like we can continue to grow here in this area because of this situation,” Broumley said.

The Robinson facility is the most advanced dairy processing plant in Walmart’s network, featuring updated technology throughout the operation—from pasteurization systems to packaging and distribution.

The investment is expected to improve efficiency and extend product shelf life, with milk from the facility projected to last up to 22 days.

Once fully operational, it will produce around 120 million gallons of milk a year and ship to more than 650 stores in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana.