Mayfield Dairy may reopen visitors center in Braselton

“They had some changes in their corporate structure at Dean Foods, which brought it back again to open it up,” Braselton town manager Jennifer Dees said of the recent informational meeting.

That gathering included herself, Mayfield Dairy Farms president Scottie Mayfield and a manager with Dean Foods — the parent company of Mayfield Dairy, according to Dees.

Mayfield Dairy closed its visitors center in Braselton in October 2011, after initially opening in October 1997. It was estimated that 200,000 guests came to the facility every year.

Dean Foods cited a challenging economy that made it difficult to operate the Braselton visitors center in a manner that kept it financially afloat as a reason for closing the facility.

While Mayfield Dairy closed its visitors center — which included tours, an ice cream parlor and a gift shop — it kept its Braselton milk production plant open. Mayfield Dairy also has a milk and ice cream production plant in Athens, Tenn.

At the time of its closure, the Mayfield Dairy visitors center in Braselton was one of the most-visited tourist spots in Northeast Georgia. Town officials asked Dean Foods to reconsider its closure plans by possibly opening the visitors center only during warmer months or other flexible options. Braselton officials also asked its residents to contact Dean Foods about changing its plans.

For now, Dean Foods says it remains committed to the Braselton community.

“As we indicated last year, we are open to the possibility of reopening the Visitor Center if we can determine a path that is economically sustainable,” said Jamaison Schuler, senior manager of corporate communications with Dean Foods. “We continue to have conversations with Braselton city officials to explore our options. However, it’s too early to speculate whether or not we will reopen, and if so, in what capacity.”

According to Dees, the company has discussed opening the Mayfield Dairy Visitors Center on a full-time or a limited-schedule basis, its costs with potentially reopening the facility, and how the town’s visitors bureau authority has used Mayfield Dairy in its ads.

The visitors center was a popular destination for many large groups — especially schools — for its tour of the milk production plant.

“They didn’t want to lose the educational part,” she said. “They were looking at the tours and how to make them more cost effective.”