THOMASVILLE, Georgia (WALB) – Sweet Grass Dairy celebrated an expansion with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The family business started in 2000 as the first cheese manufacturer in Georgia.

Jessica Little and her husband bought the dairy stake in the company from their parents in 2005.

Little said the support from the Thomasville community has been overwhelming, mostly selling their products to restaurants, resorts, and other local businesses.

When the coronavirus pandemic broke out, she said the company had to turn around to keep business going.

“We were able to sell to Publix and Kroger, and we couldn’t have reached that capacity at our old facility,” he said.

This week the company celebrated a new 12,500 square foot manufacturing facility on Roseway Drive.

Little said the expansion talk had been in the works for some time, but the pandemic only postponed things further. Production at the new facility officially began in December 2020, and Little said she felt lucky to have a community that supports small businesses the way the people of Thomasville do.

“We’re so happy to be part of this community that supports small businesses, artisans, and artisans so much, and I’m so happy to be in Thomasville and I’m not sure there is any other place I’d rather be were. ”

Over the next five years, Little hopes the new plant will create up to 15 new jobs.

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