The milkmen are moving to a new home.
After 93 years at the same location along West Valley Highway just north of South 277th Street, Smith Brothers Farms has decided to move to a larger dairy production facility a few miles to the east in Kent.
“We love our old farm but we’ve simply outgrown it,” said Dustin Highland, director of revenue operations for Smith Brothers Farms. “We’re excited to put the stamp on our new facility and call it home.”
Office workers recently moved to the new site at 26401 79th Ave. S. The milkmen, trucks and production facility are all expected to be at the new site by the end of June. The company employs 125.
Although the milk business will leave the West Valley property, the land will remain a farm as the Kent-based Carpinito Brothers purchased the nearly 240 acres.
“Our plans are to farm the property and use the facilities for storage,” said Mike Carpinito, owner of the popular produce market along Central Avenue in Kent and part of a 50-year family business. “We farm on three sides of it (Smith Brothers) already. We’ll grow vegetables, pumpkins, corn and cabbage – the hand-harvested vegetables. We’ll eventually farm all of it in time.”
The dairy cows left the farm in 2001 for a Smith Brothers-owned farm in Royal City near Moses Lake. But in 2006 the Federal government changed milk producer/handler regulations, so the company sold the Royal City farm and cows and now gets milk from select co-op Washington state dairy farms.
The new headquarters doesn’t sit on a farm. But the building features 25-foot high ceilings compared to about 10 feet at the current site. And everything sits under one roof rather than spread out on the farm.
“We’ll have the capacity for at least twice as much milk for storage,” Highland said.
Smith Brothers continues to deliver milk and other products to 40,000 homes as well as numerous school districts, coffee stands, restaurants and a few small grocery stores.
“We’re moving to a new facility to help better fit our needs and to provide a sustainable future for the company, our employees, our customers and the communities we serve,” Highland said. “We can assure all of our current and potential customers that the move will not affect the wide range and high quality of services Smith Brothers Farms has come to be known for during the last 93 years of being in business.”
The company features 50 vehicles that deliver from farm to home within 48 hours. Smith Brothers delivers from Olympia north to Marysville and from Bremerton east to North Bend.
“Business is going great,” Highland said. “We’re signing up a lot of new customers.”
Benjamin Smith started the milk company in 1920 at its current location with one cow and a few customers. He named the company after his two sons, Dan and Howard. Benjamin Smith also had five daughters.
Highland is part of the fourth generation of the Smith family involved in the business. His mother is one of Dan Smith’s four daughters.
“My middle name is Smith,” Highland said.
The landmark cow that stood for years at the south end of the property disappeared for a while last year before being found up near Kentlake High School. Highland said the cow often became the target for high school pranks. He said the cow will be put up at the new site, but it might be inside the building rather than outside.
As far as the new property owners, when the Smith family decided to seek a new location, they asked Mike Carpinito if he wanted the land. The two families have been friends for years. The Carpinito’s even lease some of the Smith property to grow their crops.
“We were pretty excited about the opportunity to acquire something that big alongside of us,” said Carpinito, who also recently purchased the Schuler Farm in Auburn along the West Valley Highway on the south side of South 277th Street.
“We are very happy that the land will stay in good hands with a local farmer in the Kent Valley,” Highland said.
Smith Brothers looked at moving to other cities, but decided to stay in Kent.
“We did look at other potential options, but our first option was always to stay in Kent in order to remain close to the community that we love and have had the pleasure of being a neighbor with during the past 93 years,” Highland said.
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