The Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission continued the 2016-2017 “#MadeInAlbanyGA” campaign, featuring Tara Foods.

Tara is one of Kroger grocery store’s 34 manufacturing plants, and is tasked with producing all store-label peanut butter, peanut oil, juices, sauces, wines and vinegars, baking and flavoring extracts, and liquid water enhancers for Kroger retail stores.

“Tara Foods is a great example of the advantages available to food manufacturers locating in Albany-Dougherty County,” says ADEDC President Justin Strickland. “For instance, Tara sells over 25 million jars of Kroger brand peanut butter per year, which is produced using over 70 million pounds of peanuts from local peanut farmers and shellers from around the region. Being located in Albany ensures easy access to raw material, and ultimately, a lower cost of doing business for food manufacturers such as Tara.”

Albany’s Tara Foods produces over 250 product variations, which are distributed to Kroger retail stores throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, China and the UK. The company prides itself on providing high quality products at a low cost, which enables Kroger products to compete with national brands.

“Even though we produce over half a million bottles per year, our customers love our steak sauce so much that they constantly call our call center asking for more. We spend over 8 hours preparing and cooking each batch with care,” says Tara Operations Manager Mona McCoy.

Tara Foods produces over 8 million pounds of product each month, all of which is single-sourced and made exclusively in Albany for Kroger retail stores.