The U.S. division of the Canadian cooperative is a major contract manufacturer of ultra-high temperature pasteurized dairy and nondairy beverages. The Minnesota-based dairy is growing its own brand, too.
The dairy industry thrives on tradition. Independent dairies have built long-term relationships with consumers that are passed from generation to generation. Family-owned regional dairies rely on these loyalties.
Take Grade A whipping cream, for example. Grandmothers (as well as the professional foodservice community) in Minnesota’s Twin Cities have long favored the vat-pasteurized cream from Schroeder Milk for its whipping and holding characteristics. The cream is so well-known that people refer to by its packaging: “the cream in the purple carton.”