Garrity tours Penn Dairy Farm, highlights local farmers and sustainability

Penn Dairy’s Winfield plant put Union County’s farm economy on display, showing how a local processor can turn milk, jobs and community partnerships into a business that reaches far beyond County Line Road. Stacy Garrity toured the specialized yogurt manufacturer and co-packer at 7199 County Line Rd. on May 16, using the stop to highlight sustainable sourcing, hunger relief and the role of local farmers in keeping dairy production anchored in the county.

The company says its operation carries SQF certification along with Non-GMO Project Verified, Organic, Halal, Circle K Kosher, Super Kosher and Grade A status. It also says it is approved by the FDA to export dairy products to the European Union, a sign of how a plant in Winfield can connect local milk to larger markets while still relying on farms close to home.

Penn Dairy traces its roots to May 8, 1979, when Eldore Hanni and Tom Weber opened the plant as Dry Valley Cheese. Penn Cheese Corporation was formed in 1990, Ed Clouse bought the business in 2013, and Murat Hokka formed Penn Dairy after purchasing it in 2018. A 2021 company profile said yogurt lines were added in 2015 and that about half of the milk delivered to the plant was converted into yogurt. The same profile said Penn Dairy started an expansion project in 2020, with much of it expected to be completed by summer 2021.

Hokka’s own path reflects the immigrant entrepreneurship story behind the business. Industry profiles say he was born in Hatay, Turkey, came to Connecticut in 1995 and made Pennsylvania home in 1998. Orontes Mediterranean Yogurt says he founded his first yogurt company in May 2016 and later acquired a production facility in Winfield, building the brand around locally sourced ingredients and support for local farmers and local businesses.

Penn Dairy also says it works with local organizations on hunger relief and uses surplus milk to make dairy products for food banks in several Pennsylvania counties. The plant’s cheese-contest wins stretch from 2010 through 2019, underscoring a long record of production even as it has expanded into yogurt.

The broader county numbers help explain why that matters. Union County had 483 farms in 2022, covering 61,919 acres, with agricultural products sold valued at $218.412 million. Livestock, poultry and products accounted for 91% of those sales, and milk from cows remained a major category. State dairy leaders say the sector supports open space, rural jobs and locally produced dairy foods while also helping stabilize prices and markets.

That backdrop has made succession and long-term farm viability a live issue. A 2025 Pennsylvania Dairy Producer Survey found 603 active dairy producers among 777 respondents, with an average herd size of 152 cows and 27% planning to transition to the next generation. In Lewisburg, Penn State Extension and the Center for Dairy Excellence held a “Passing the Torch” dairy succession workshop on March 24, 2026, a reminder that the future of plants like Penn Dairy depends on whether the farms that supply them can stay viable for the next generation.