Who owns dean foods

Dean launched with the purchase of Mayfield Dairy Farms, Inc. Another new product was introduced in a low-fat milk with reduced lactose, a sugar that causes digestion problems for some milk drinkers. Dean also acquired Ready Food Products, Inc. Expanding its specialty food segment helped Dean to balance the shortfall in dairy profits caused by further increases in raw-milk prices in and The operating earnings in specialty foods exceeded Dean's dairy products segment for the first time in fiscal As raw-milk prices returned to pre-drought levels by summer , the company refocused on its acquisition program.

Dean purchased Cream o'Weber Dairy, Inc. It also acquired Frio Foods, Inc. The Cream o'Weber purchase typified Dean's strategy: even before the acquisition was completed, Cream o'Weber's plants were being consolidated and updated. Another advantage of being part of the Dean team was the sharing between divisions. An example of this came during the frozen yogurt boom in , when Dean's T.

Lee and McArthur affiliates wanted to enter this market. Starting a new product from scratch might have taken more than six months. Instead, these dairies were able to take advantage of the expertise of a fellow Dean division, Mayfield Dairy Farms, which produced one of Dean's best frozen yogurts.

In just about five weeks, these companies had a new product on the market under their own names. Sharing between companies and a decentralized management style are part of what makes Dean so successful. However, an excess of crops in fiscal put a squeeze on Dean's profits in the vegetable segment. At this time, Dean's vegetable line was 55 percent frozen and 45 percent canned, with roughly two-thirds of its output for private labels. Dairy remained Dean's primary business, with more than 21 milk processing plants and nearly six percent of the total market, making Dean a very close second to Borden, the industry leader.

In early Dean acquired W. Roddenbery Co. Based in Georgia, the company's brands had widespread regional name recognition and were expected to help strengthen Dean's existing Specialty Foods segment. Relentless rain in the summer of seemed to promise relief from the oversupply and resulting low prices that had plagued the vegetable business in recent years; however, Dean found that the weather raised its processing costs without providing immediate price increases, as the company was locked into low-priced contracts with its retail customers.

Noting the strength of the Birds Eye brand name, Howard Dean called the purchase "a strategic acquisition" that "positions Dean for volume and profit growth. In early Dean's CFO, Tim Bondy, resigned abruptly, and Dean's stock dropped eight percent on this news: according to observers, Bondy was the mastermind behind Dean's growth-by-acquisition strategy, and his departure raised eyebrows on Wall Street.

Within a week, the company announced that earnings for its third quarter ending in February would be substantially lower than previously estimated, and its stock dropped an additional six percent. According to the company, interest costs and tax rates contributed to the earnings decline.

Whenever possible Dean worked to consolidate operations of its new acquisitions, seeking to effect efficiencies and move production closer to retail markets to reduce transportation costs. The following year, Dean invested heavily to update the brand image of its dairy line, redesigning its packaging in bright colors with eye-catching graphics. Seeking to strengthen the Dean brand identity in a commodity market, the company began advertising milk's rich calcium content on its cartons and to approach marketing in general with the mindset of a large beverage producer.

In this vein, Mayfield Dairy Farms, a Dean division based in Tennessee, developed a highly successful plastic, single-serving milk bottle. A hit with consumers, the plastic bottles were convenient, portable, and saleable in vending machines. Industry consultant Jerry Dryer noted the potential of such packaging for expanding the portability and popularity of milk, observing: "A square carton doesn't fit in the cup holder of your minivan.

From breakfast to bedtime, from baby showers to retirement parties, we make products for every occasion. With local sourcing, we keep things natural — and play a role in in supporting farmers, strengthening the economy, and bringing communities together. From a single location to the largest direct-to-store milk distributor in the United States, dairy has fueled our success just as it fuels healthy lives.

In San Juan, Puerto Rico, Suiza Foods makes its first dairy acquisition, marking a new era in the highly fragmented dairy industry. Now the biggest processor and distributor of dairy products, Suiza Foods acquires Dean Foods, soon adopting the much-loved Dean Foods brand.

Across more than 50 brands, we distribute fluid milk, ice cream, cultured products, juices, teas, bottled water and more. Our team includes around 16, people in dairies across the country. And our milk comes from around , cows, who also deserve a great deal of the credit. Beyond enriching lives, we believe Dean Foods can play an important role in enriching communities, good causes and the environment.

The year-old Borden Dairy Co. Founded in , it was the first milk company to use glass milk bottles. Its 12 processing plants distribute nearly million gallons of milk every year. Paul O'Donnell , Business Editor. Paul directs the work of an award-winning staff covering business news in the nation's fourth largest metro region. He's been The News' business editor since Become a business insider.

Bankruptcy Court in Houston should be extended to also allow for the antitrust investigation by the DOJ to be completed. The court is expected to hold a hearing on the sale of Dean Foods assets on April 3. According to a statement from Dean, that while DFA is no longer the stalking horse, the Kansas City-based cooperative is still expected to submit a bid for Dean's assets by the March 30 deadline.

Monica Massey, executive vice president and chief of staff for DFA says the company is re-evaluating its options under the new bidding procedure, but any bid DFA submits "will benefit all dairy farmers. While DFA professes a desire to preserve milk markets for their members, Poole says the sale is a bad deal for everyone involved.