Plastic Bottle Shortage Forces Kwik Trip to Curtail Production of Some Dairy Products

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Kwik Trip Inc. is limiting the production of some flavored milk and cappuccino creamer, citing a shortage of small plastic bottles. The halt impacts products across the operator's more than 700 convenience stores.

The La Crosse-based company, which ships roughly 105,000 gallons of milk a day, said the shortages affect flavors such as low-fat chocolate and strawberry, but only in 8-ounce and 16-ounce containers. Production of the small sizes of cappuccino creamer has also been reduced, reported Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Kwik Trip decided to temporarily curtail production of certain flavors of milk, in the small containers, that are less in demand as a plastic bottle supplier struggled to get the materials it needed, according to the company.

"The good news is we should be back, full bore, on all flavors and sizes by Oct. 21," said Kwik Trip spokesman David Niemi.

Kwik Trip, which has its own dairy processing plants, is one of the largest milk producers in the upper Midwest, sourcing its milk from dairy farms within about a 75-mile radius of La Crosse.

Manufacturers have fallen behind in many areas of the economy, including plastics and packaging, due to supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the news outlet reported, adding that full-size grocery stores have also experienced product shortages because of strong consumer demand and, in some cases, not enough packaging.

Founded in 1965, Kwik Trip operates more than 700 family-owned convenience stores. The company is known as Kwik Trip in Minnesota and Wisconsin and as Kwik Star in Iowa.