Oberweis Dairy

Oberweis Dairy, headquartered in North Aurora, Illinois, is the parent company of several dairy-related and fast food restaurant operations in the midwest region of the United States.[1] Its businesses include a home delivery service available in parts of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, and Wisconsin, which delivers traditional dairy products, including milk, ice cream, cheese, and yogurt, as well as bacon and seasonal products.

The businesses also include a chain of corporate-owned "Dairy and Ice Cream Stores", in the Chicago area,[1] which sell many of the same products as the home delivery service, a distribution service which allows for some of their products (such as milk) to be available in regional supermarkets, and also includes a franchise service,[2] which expanded the "Dairy and Ice Cream Stores" into Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, and Michigan after 2004.

History

In 1915, Peter J. Oberweis began selling his excess milk to his neighbors in Kane County, Illinois; the business became full-time in 1927.[4][5] According to the Dairy's website, the family's farm was off of Molitor Road, in Aurora, Illinois. The family used a horse and milk float to deliver milk to their neighbors, beginning in 1927, after Peter J. Oberweis invested in half of the business of the Big Woods Dairy.[6]

During the Great Depression, Peter's son Joe dropped out of high school to help run the business.[7] The business continued in the family, with Joe running the business through the 1950s.

Jim Oberweis purchased the company from his brother in 1986 and named his son, Joe, CEO in 2007.[8][9][10] In October 2022, Oberweis Dairy ceased their longstanding practice of purchasing from a select group of family farm patrons and instead began purchasing it from open-market cooperatives.[4]

In April 2024, Oberweis Dairy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[11][12] In May, the Hoffmann Family of Companies, a private equity firm based in Winnetka, Illinois, won a bid to purchase Oberweis Dairy out of bankruptcy. The new owners have plans to keep the company in operation as well as potentially expanding the brand.[13]

In June 2024, Osprey Capital LLC, the investment arm of the Hoffmann Family of Companies, officially acquired Oberweis Dairy.[14][15]

Home delivery

In 1927, the company's founder began a home delivery service, which has continued since that time. Delivery has been in glass bottles, in the same way milk was delivered throughout the United States in the 1960s. A modern smartphone app supports tracking and timing deliveries.[16]

Dairy and Ice Cream Stores

In 1951, the Dairy and Ice Cream Stores began operation. The company currently has locations, both corporate-owned and franchised, throughout Chicago, its suburbs, northwest Indiana, around St. Louis, Missouri, near Indianapolis, Indiana, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and near Detroit, Michigan. Some projects for the retail stores were done on a trial basis at the company's corporate office in North Aurora (which also includes a retail store) before being put into place at other locations, such as the stores' drive-through service, and the lunch/sandwich program, which began in 2004 and ended in July 2006. In 2012, Oberweis said that each dairy store generates between $1.25 million and $1.75 million per year.[17]

type	Private
industry	Dairy, Restaurant, home delivery
foundation	1927
location	951 Ice Cream Dr.
location city	North Aurora, Illinois
locations	41
area served	Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin
key people	Renato DePaolis, CEO
products	Dairy and fast food
parent	Hoffmann Family of Companies
homepage	http://www.oberweis.com
location country	United States

History

Home delivery

Dairy and Ice Cream Stores

That Burger Joint

External links

References

Woodgrain Neapolitan Pizzeria