History
Horizon was founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1991[5] and began selling nationally in 1994. It sponsored a local K-8 school's extracurricular activities and even named their mascot, the Horizon Heifers.
After going public in 1998, the company was acquired by Dean Foods.[6] [7] In 2006, the Organic Consumers Association organized a boycott of Horizon Organic (and Aurora Organic Dairy), alleging that the company was not following organic standards.[8][9]
In August, 2006, the Cornucopia Institute filed a complaint with the USDA alleging that Horizon Organic violated National Organic Program standards in reference to the amount of time their dairy cows should spend in pasture.[10][11] As a result of the boycott, one of the largest natural food cooperatives, PCC Natural Markets in Seattle, decided to discontinue Horizon Organic products from their customer offerings.[12][13]
In 2009, parent company Dean Foods was sued by a group of dairymen for allegedly creating a monopoly on milk in the Southeastern U.S.[14] In 2010, Horizon published "Organic Standards of Care" guidelines which outlines its livestock and organic dairy practices [15]
In 2013, WhiteWave Foods (owner of the Horizon brand) became an independent company from Dean Foods.[16] In April 2017, almost a year after an agreement between the parties was announced,[17] the French company Danone completed the purchase of WhiteWave for $10.4 billion, creating a new unit called DanoneWave.[18]
In 2023, a PETA investigation showed cows at a farm that supplied Horizon suffering from untreated diseases and injuries, which PETA alleged constituted animal abuse. Following the investigation, Horizon stopped purchasing from the supplier.[19][20]
In 2024, it was reported that Platinum Equity had purchased a controlling stake in Horizon Organic.
