Celebrating its 75th Anniversary, Milo’s Tea Company – a family-owned, certified women-owned business, headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. – was chosen to be featured in a national Walmart commercial highlighting American jobs.
Now airing nationwide in the United States, the commercial highlights the positive impact on people and communities when consumers buy Milo’s from Walmart. The purchases cause Walmart to buy more beverages from Milo’s, which leads the company to make more products and create more jobs to keep up with the demand. As the business grows, the expansion gives employees more opportunities to advance and the ability to improve the communities where they live and work.
Milo’s sells all-natural, fresh-brewed teas and lemonade in over 30 thousand retailer locations across the country. Milo’s team members were thrilled to learn they earned a national spotlight in Walmart’s latest ad campaign.
“We are so humbled to be part of Walmart’s commitment to support U.S. manufacturing companies like Milo’s,” said Tricia Wallwork, CEO of Milo’s Tea Company. “It shines the light on our company culture of ‘People First.’ Walmart has been a partner of Milo’s for more than three decades by supporting our development goals and helping our distribution expand into new markets. In turn, the increased sales have allowed us to grow, expand our operations and create more jobs.”
Employee Spotlight
The Walmart ad features Kequan Jimmerson, operations manager at Milo’s manufacturing and distribution facility that recently opened in Tulsa, Okla. Jimmerson started his career with the company 13 years ago as a forklift operator and now oversees the daily operations of the facility and its 70 employees.
There is also a Spanish version of the commercial that features Juan Ramirez, quality assurance technician. Ramirez was one of 60 new employees hired for the opening of the $60 million, 150,000 square foot facility in Tulsa in the fall of 2020.
“Milo’s is known as a company that produces great tasting, all-natural beverages,” said Wallwork. “We’re grateful that we’re now also being recognized for investing in our associates and creating a people over profit culture that we call ‘People First’. Back in 2012, we had about 50 associates. Today, we have grown 10-fold, employing over 500 people across the country. That’s some incredible growth, and it’s in part due to our focus on ‘People First’ and 75 years of incorporating our family values. I’m proud to be the third generation of my family to serve with this team.”
Job Creation
The ad campaign featuring Milo’s supports Walmart’s new initiative to spend an additional $350 billion over the next decade on items made, grown or assembled in the U.S. Walmart estimates this initiative will support more than 750,000 new American jobs focusing on six priority categories, including plastics, textiles, small electrical appliances, food processing, pharmaceutical and medical supplies, and Goods Not For Resale (or GNFR).
Milo's relationship with Walmart began more than 31 years ago when Walmart began selling groceries in their new Supercenter stores. As Walmart Supercenters appeared in the Birmingham area, management quickly realized they needed Milo’s beverages in local stores. Wallwork's parents personally made the tea and delivered it to the Walmart Supercenter near the production facility. Milo’s beverages are now sold in most Walmart stores in the United States.
Milo’s Sweet History
After returning from serving the U.S. during World War II, Milo and Beatrice “Bea” Carlton opened Milo’s, a hamburger restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama. Decades later, when the family realized the sweet tea they sold at the restaurant was just as popular as the burgers, they began selling the refrigerated beverages in local grocery stores.
Now, 75 years later, Milo’s is the No. 1 brand of refrigerated tea, according to the company. Milo’s is also honored to be a Certified Women-Owned Business and a Platinum Certified Zero Waste Manufacturer with a 1% Giving Back Profit Pledge.
“I’m so proud of our team for building Milo’s into the national brand it is today,” said Wallwork. “We continue to fresh brew our teas like my grandfather did, using high quality, all-natural ingredients with no added colors or preservatives. While we have grown and evolved tremendously over the last 75 years, we continue to remain true to our core, family values.”
To view the Spanish version of the Walmart commercial featuring Milo’s Tea Company, click here.
Learn more about Milo’s at DrinkMilos.com.