Maola Local Dairies, the signature brand from Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association Inc. (MDVA), covers dairy products touted as being “fresh from farm to fridge” and “100% local.” To make good on those claims, Reston, Va.-based MDVA operates two processing facilities dedicated to this brand — and customers’ brands — that are strategically located to be as close as possible to its member farms. (It also operates two plants dedicated to dairy-based ingredients — see the Processor Profile)
One of those plants can be found in Landover, Md. — less than 10 miles from the nation’s capital city. Constructed in 1968 to serve as Giant Foods’ dairy arm, the plant was purchased by MDVA in 2006, notes Todd Aarons, executive vice president of operations for the cooperative.