Nov. 15—LORETTO, Pa. — Vale Wood Farms' slogan is "From moo to you," but milk delivery requires containers of some sort, and the usually reliable half-pint paper cartons are in short supply nationwide.
Vale Wood Farms director of business development Carissa Itle Westrick said the shortage stems from a supply chain disruption in one of the two major companies that supplies cartons across the nation.
Dairies that spoke with The Tribune-Democrat said the packaging company's production shift from a plant in Ohio to another location has temporarily slowed the supply chain.
The packaging company cited by dairies, Pactiv Evergreen, did not return requests for information on Tuesday.
The shift in carton supply began in October and is affecting all of the region's dairy suppliers of schools and institutions, including Galliker Dairy Co. in Johnstown and Vale Wood Farms in Loretto.
"We are doing our best to manage it," Itle Westrick said.
"Our stock is sufficient at the moment, but we'll need another order to arrive a month from now so that life does not become more interesting."
Itle Westrick said the carton supplier foresees production returning to normal by the end of the year. She said she has spoken with schools and institutions to plan alternative delivery methods such as five-gallon bags if cartons run out.
"At the end of the day, what's so humbling about working in a small business in a local community is that when crazy things happen, you can lean on the community for support and flexibility," she said.
Galliker Dairy Co. supplies milk across the mid-Atlantic region.
"Due to unforeseen supply chain challenges, our school milk supplier is currently experiencing a shortage of half pint and four-ounce paper containers and cannot produce enough cartons to meet demand," the company said in a press release.
"Unfortunately, this is a national problem and Pennsylvania is among the states affected. This shortage will affect most milk processing companies like Galliker Dairy."
The company said it has taken immediate steps to address the issue.
"Galliker's has notified each school and institution that we serve about the paper product shortage. Our dedicated team is working diligently with our customers to find solutions and packaging alternatives to help minimize disruptions," the press release said. "Galliker Dairy would like to thank you for your continued support and understanding. We value our customers business and loyalty and look forward to resuming regular operations as soon as possible."