Gov. Youngkin announces Duchess Dairy plans “buttery”  expansion in southwest Virginia

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Dec. 12 that Duchess Dairy will invest nearly $1 million to expand its dairy processing operations in Wythe County in southwest Virginia. The family-owned and operated dairy manufacturer plans to grow its operation by adding a production line of churned butter to its it popular line of premium bottled milk.

“Growing small businesses in our rural communities is vital to the continued growth of the Commonwealth’s largest private industry, agriculture. Congratulations to Duchess Dairy on this expansion and for investing in Southwest Virgnia,” said the Governor.

“I am pleased that the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund’s facility grant allows us to partner with Wythe County to support the expansion of Duchess Dairy,” said Matthew LohrSecretary of Agriculture and Forestry.

“This expansion increases dairy processing opportunities in the state, especially dairies in Southwest Virginia, and supports the growth of Virginia’s dairy industry.”

For more than four generations, the Huffard family has raised registered Jersey cattle to produce milk on their dairy farms. With a strong tie to the local community and the desire to share their high-quality milk with others, the family along with Joe Blakenship came together in 2010 to form Duchess Dairy Products and began processing and bottling milk from their herds. Today, the company produces approximately 7,000 gallons of traditional and flavored milk per week. Consumers can buy Duchess Dairy products in a variety of retail stores across Southern and Southwest Virginia, including large-chain grocers like Food City, Food Lion, independent grocery retailers, and specialty stores.

“We would like to thank Governor Youngkin, the State of Virginia, Wythe County, and the town of Rural Retreat for their assistance with this project, as well as our many loyal customers for the purchase of our products,” said James Huffard, III, President of Duchess Dairy . “We take great pride in sourcing only fresh, high-quality milk from our dairy cattle to produce bottled milk and other dairy products. This expansion project will help us meet growing consumer demand by increasing operational efficiencies, increasing production capacity, and adding a production line of fresh churned butter.” 

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) worked with Wythe County and the town of Rural Retreat to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Youngkin approved a $25,000 Facility Grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund, which Wythe County will match with local funds.