MARTINS FERRY — Area residents enjoying a cold glass of milk probably don’t think much about where their beverage came from, but Belmont County commissioners toured the United Dairy plant on Tuesday to learn more about the needs of the long-standing local business that processes milk and other dairy products.

United Dairy is located on Fifth Street in Martins Ferry and has been providing quality dairy products to the local area and beyond for more than 50 years. Starting as a small, family-owned business, the company has since expanded to include three processing plants and seven branches in four different states across the country. The headquarters is located in the production plant in the Purple City, where the company turns raw milk into various products to distribute.

Doug Longenette, United Dairy director of human resources, welcomed county commissioners and officials from the Belmont County Port Authority on Tuesday as he explained the plant’s operations. The goal was to help county leaders better understand the needs of the facility.

“You always see elected officials talk about new business but rarely talk about how to maintain existing businesses that are here long-term,” said Commissioner Mark Thomas. “That’s our goal here today.”

Commissioners Thomas, J. P. Dutton and Josh Meyer, as well as Port Authority Executive Director Larry Merry and Executive Assistant Sherri Butler, spoke with Longenette about the history of the company, as well as some of its costs and expenses. Longenette said one of the biggest costs is purchasing resin that is used to make the plastic milk jugs and products at the plant. He said the only plants that produce the resin needed are in Texas and Louisiana, so materials must be shipped long distances. Thomas said if the proposed PTT Global Chemical ethane cracker is constructed near Dilles Bottom, its presence could help alleviate those costs, potentially saving United Dairy “hundreds of thousands” on resin each year, if not more.

“From the county perspective, it’s not only about more jobs being created,” Thomas said. “It’s also going to help out your existing businesses, due to lowering some of their costs going into the future.”

The guests were then given a tour of the plant, with Longenette explaining the process along the way. The Martins Ferry plant receives raw milk from farmers, both local and beyond, with some tankers coming in from as far away as New York.

The plant homogenizes and pasteurizes the milk as needed and adds flavoring to make chocolate milk and other products. The finished products are then put into cardboard cartons or plastic jugs, both of which are made at the plant. After being bottled, the finished products are stored in a cooler, where they wait to be distributed. Between the Martins Ferry, Charleston, W.Va., and Uniontown, Pa., plants, United Dairy distributes more than 1 million gallons of milk products each week.

Longenette said he was grateful that the commissioners stopped by to learn a little more about the process. He said he enjoys working at a family-based business, where he knows most of the workers, many of whom have worked for United for years. Longenette said at times it can be tough; the company has lost several employees in recent years to the gas and oil industry, and the future is never set in stone for the company. Nevertheless, he and the workers at United Dairy continue to do their best every day. He noted the company hopes to keep evolving and changing to meet customers’ tastes.

“There really is something to be said for working for a family-owned company like this,” Longenette said.

For more information on United Dairy and its products, visit drinkunited. com.