Crystal Creamery was founded in 1901 by George Knox in Sacramento, California, as Crystal Cream & Butter.[1][2] In 1921, Crystal Cream & Butter was purchased by Carl Hansen, a Danish immigrant. The Hansen family led the company for the next 86 years and pioneered many new technologies, growing Crystal Cream & Butter into one of the largest independent dairy processors in the state of California. In 2007, Crystal Cream & Butter was acquired by HP Hood, who sold it later that year to Foster Dairy Farms, which had been founded in 1941 by Max and Verna Foster, a venture that followed the 1939 founding of their Foster Farms. Today, Crystal Creamery claims to be the "largest privately owned dairy in California."[3]
In 2008, Foster Farms Dairy announced its intention to rebrand itself as Crystal Creamery.[4] In 2009, Foster Farms Dairy acquired Humboldt Creamery, based in Fernbridge, California (near Eureka). The name change was phased in from 2009 to 2012.[5] Crystal Creamery's 120th Anniversary was celebrated in 2021.
See also
- Dairy farming
External links
References
- Our Story Crystal Creamery, retrieved 2024-12-01^
- Crystal Creamery FreshPoint, retrieved 2024-12-01^
- Company website 2007 - May 2012, as archived by the Wayback Machine^
- John Holland. Modesto-based Foster Farms clarifies its name Modesto Bee, August 27, 2008^
- Crystal Creamery's branding strategy is crystal clear Dairy Foods, 2016-04-07, retrieved 2024-12-02^