Yotvata was formed as a Nahal settlement in 1951 and became the first kibbutz in the southern Arava region in 1957. Blessed with a burning sun in the summer, a shortage of water, infertile land, and distance from other settled areas, it decided to branch out to dairy farming, and in 1962 the kibbutz founded a dairy with four cows to provide milk to Eilat. Breeding milking cows in the desert was considered an impossible mission. Contrary to expectations, this venture has been highly successful and Yotvata now controls much of the Israeli dairy-beverage market. The kibbutz is also the center for this region, and is where most regional facilities are based, including a regional school, regional council offices, community center, sports center, movies and concert hall.

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Yotvata offers a diverse range of products for sale in its visitors’ store, including its popular flavored milk drinks, enriched milk, whipping cream, sour cream, cream-based pasta sauces, and leben. The milk required to produce all this comes from a network of 22 dairy barns in the Arava Valley and Negev. There is also a restaurant, shaded picnic tables and a park for children of all ages.