COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 311511

Fluid Milk Manufac- turing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

25companies1866–2004founding years25still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedNestlé S.A.
1866
FoundedArla Foods amba
1869
FoundedFraser & Neave Ltd.
1883
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedOakhurst Dairy
1921
FoundedGeneral Mills, Inc.FoundedGeorge Weston Limited
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedStrauss-Elite Group
1934
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedNorthern Foods plc
1949
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedUnigate PLC
1959
FoundedPrairie Farms Dairy, Inc.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedSodiaal S.A.
1964
FoundedAssociated Milk Producers, Inc.FoundedGrupo Leche Pascual S.A.
1969
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedKraft Foods Inc.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedOJSC Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods
1992
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedFriesland Coberco Dairy Foods Holding N.V.FoundedHorizon Organic Holding Corporation
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
FoundedFonterra Co-Operative Group Ltd.
2001
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Nestlé S.A. →
Active · founded 1866 · Switzerland
Nestlé S.A.
Arla Foods amba →
Active · founded 1869 · Denmark
Arla Foods amba is a cooperative formed by the 2000 merger between Sweden's Arla and Denmark's MD Foods.
Fraser & Neave Ltd. →
Active · founded 1883 · Singapore
One of the largest publicly listed companies in Singapore, Fraser & Neave Ltd.
H.E. Butt Grocery Company →
Active · founded 1905
H.E.
Oakhurst Dairy →
Active · founded 1921
Oakhurst Dairy, the largest dairy in Maine and the largest independent dairy in northern New England, was founded in…
General Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
General Mills, Inc.
George Weston Limited →
Active · founded 1928 · Canada
George Weston Limited is a major Canadian food processor and distributor, with a number of operations in the United…
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.
Strauss-Elite Group →
Active · founded 1934 · Israel
Merging two of Israel's oldest and largest food companies in 2004, the Strauss-Elite Group has become that country's…
Northern Foods plc →
Active · founded 1949 · United Kingdom
Northern Foods plc is one of the United Kingdom's leading manufacturers of high-quality fresh foods, supplying the…
Snow Brand Milk Products Company, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1950 · Japan
Snow Brand Milk Products Company, Ltd.
Unigate PLC →
Active · founded 1959 · United Kingdom
Unigate PLC is a leading European fresh foods, dairy, and distribution company.
Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. →
Active · founded 1962
Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc.
Sodiaal S.A. →
Active · founded 1964 · France
Sodiaal S.A.
Groupe Danone →
Active · founded 1966 · France
Known until 1994 as BSN Groupe S.A., Groupe Danone is one of the largest food companies in the world.
Associated Milk Producers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Associated Milk Producers, Inc.
Grupo Leche Pascual S.A. →
Active · founded 1969 · Spain
Despite the controversy at home, Pascual had in the meantime discovered a strong international market for its UHT…
Dairy Crest Group plc →
Active · founded 1987 · United Kingdom
Dairy Crest Group plc, the dairy products processing arm of the former British Milk Marketing Board milk monopoly, has…
Kraft Foods Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Kraft Foods Inc.
OJSC Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods →
Active · founded 1992 · Russia
Founded shortly after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, OJSC Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods has become a market leader in the…
Friesland Coberco Dairy Foods Holding N.V. →
Active · founded 1997 · The Netherlands
Friesland Coberco's acquisition of Nutricia enabled it to claim the number two position among European dairy groups,…
Glanbia plc →
Active · founded 1997 · Ireland
Glanbia plc is Ireland's top dairy foods producer and one of Europe's major dairy food groups, with a significant…
Horizon Organic Holding Corporation →
Active · founded 1997
Horizon Organic Holding Corporation operates a dairy that provides fluid milk and more than 60 dairy products produced…
Fonterra Co-Operative Group Ltd. →
Active · founded 2001 · New Zealand
The Fonterra Co-Operative Group Ltd.
Terrena L'Union CANA CAVAL →
Active · founded 2004 · France
Terrena L'Union CANA CAVAL is one of France's top three cooperatives and one of the country's leading agro-industrial…
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