Blaming the struggling economy, public relations manager Bridgett Raper said about 100 employees across the company will be affected by the layoffs.
Mayfield Dairy, based in Athens, Tenn., has 27 locations in nine states and employs more than 1,700 people. Raper estimated that the Braselton plant has 250 employees.
"With the economy being as it has been with high fuel costs and higher overall costs, we found ourselves in the same shape as other companies with rising costs," Raper said. "To be more competitive in the marketplace, we had to do this to try to reduce the cost of milk at retail and also to readjust for other costs."
To reduce the impact of the layoffs, Raper said managers at Mayfield branches have not filled vacant positions within the company.
"The number is changing because as people have left, the managers who have been working on this didn’t replace them," she said. "So it helped us in not having to lay off additional people."Raper said that company president Scottie Mayfield and general manager Mary Williams are discussing the layoffs with employees this week; she added that affected employees will be notified sometime after this.
For those employees affected by the layoffs, Raper said Mayfield is offering severance packages and helping workers find new jobs with other companies or with Mayfield’s parent company, Dean Foods.
Mayfield Dairy was started in 1910 and sells dairy products in nine Southeastern states. In addition to Braselton, the company also has a production plant in Birmingham, Ala.
The Braselton plant, which produces milk, was opened in 1997 and includes a visitor center and tours of its production plant.