Old Home Foods Early History

1912 — Peter Arthur “P.A.” Hanson starts the Rice Street Dairy in St. Paul.
1916 — Hanson and two investors purchase the Casey Pure Milk Co.  The new company is named St. Paul Milk Co., the winning response to the company’s newspaper ad seeking a new name. 1925 — Old Home Creameries incorporated by Francis Davies; sells 11 pounds of cottage cheese on its first day in business.
1930 — Old Home has 30 employees and 14 trucks; produces 1 million pounds of cottage cheese annually.
1939 — Old Home moves into a new location at 2521 E. Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis.
1946 — Old Home acquires its first mechanically refrigerated trucks.
1947 — To comply with Minnesota state law requiring production of “clean milk,” Old Home creates a dairy laboratory and purchases a plate pasteurizer, its most expensive machinery to date.
1950 — Old Home begins manufacturing yogurt, introduces Gaymont brand. Francis Davies dies at age 60; son Ted named company president.
1951 — Old Home starts advertising on Minneapolis streetcars and buses.
1956 — P.A. Hanson and sons Harvey, George, Mantor and Earl, along with the Farmers Co-op Creamery, purchase the Minnesota Milk Co.
1960 — Old Home Creameries sold to the Hanson family, renamed Old Home Foods Inc. Under Hanson family management, the company has expanded product offerings, built brand equity and boosted its market share in its distribution area.
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