100 Years of the Natural Goodness of Maine

INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHT 100 Years of the

Natural Goodness of Maine

Written by Oakhurst Dairy

CHANCES ARE if you grew up in Maine, you grew up with Oakhurst milk in your fridge. 2021 marks a momentous year for the company as Oakhurst Dairy joins a short list of Maine businesses that have been in operation for 100 years. The iconic company has become synonymous with “The Natural Goodness of Maine” by offering customers the freshest products every day, supporting healthy active kids and the environment. To honor this milestone and Oakhurst’s long-term commitment to Maine people and local dairy farms, we’re taking a look back at how Oakhurst has transformed and innovated to become what it is today.

“My grandfather, Stanley Bennett, created this company back in 1921 as a two-route business making milk deliveries by horse drawn wagon out of Woodford Street in Portland,” said John Bennett, President and CEO of Oakhurst Dairy. “Today, Oakhurst is 100% dairy farmer owned through Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), has about 200 employees, and distributes across Northern New England. It’s pretty incredible to see how it has changed in 100 years, but I know that all of it rests on Oakhurst staying true to what the company was founded on: providing the highest quality products sourced from hard working Maine farmers. As our company takes time to celebrate and look back on the last century, we’re also looking forward to the next 100 years by challenging and encouraging businesses, grocery retailers, community members, and local leaders to embrace the values of kindness, goodness, and Maineness — Oakhurst will certainly pour it on alongside them all year long, just as we always have.”

A MAINE COMPANY COMMITTED TO DOING WHAT’S RIGHT Oakhurst was built on the belief that maintaining strong community ties and local roots would propel the business forward — this all started with partnering with Maine’s dairy farmers. Today, the company works with dozens of Maine family farms, including both independent and DFA co-op members, to source and process approximately 500,000 gallons of milk weekly. Stacey Hall Webster, third generation owner and operator of Halledge Farm in Windham, sheds light on what working alongside Oakhurst for more than 80 years looks like and means.

“As a third-generation farm owner, I can say that it’s rare to have partners like Oakhurst Dairy. My grandfather, Stanley Hall, started raising and selling cattle at just 14 years old. After growing his business into a dairy farm, Stanley Hall recognized a good thing in Oakhurst and started selling his milk to the Bennetts. The rest is history,” noted Stacey. “Similar to Oakhurst’s fundamental value of building community, Stanley Hall strongly believed that when you partner with someone, you stick by them until the end. Over 80 years later, we’re thankful that our partnership with Oakhurst is just as strong as it was then.”

In 2003, Oakhurst Dairy made national news by being the first dairy company in the US to stand up to Monsanto and not use artificial growth hormone in their milk. Oakhurst asked all its farmers to take the first farmer’s pledge and started including the pledge of no arti-

ficial growth hormone on its packaging. After a long legal battle, the hard-fought effort changed how people thought about milk and many other dairy companies followed Oakhurst’s lead with greater label transparency.

Beyond its longstanding commitment to supporting local Maine dairy farmers in order to deliver the freshest and highest quality dairy products, Oakhurst is also passionate about Giving Goodness back to local communities and helping Maine kids lead healthy active lives. Over the years, Oakhurst has donated millions to non-profit, educational, and research organizations including the Salvation Army of Northern New England, 4H, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Rippleffect, the Boys and Girls Club, and Good Shepherd Food Bank.

Oakhurst has made raising awareness for the issue of child hunger in Maine a priority. Today, more than 80,000 Maine children still struggle with hunger and for many, school lunch is their last meal of the day. To address this, the company launched Oakhurst After School, a partnership with Full Plates Full Potential to create a statewide grant program that en-

sures children get the food they need after school. Oakhurst is donating $300,000 to the non-profit over a three-year period to support the funding of the meal grant program for Maine community-based after school programs and schools.

MAINE DAIRY INDUSTRY: QUALITY, INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY “It’s not just about what goes on within our four walls — in order to continue improving, we must pay close attention to everything from cow output, to product handling practices, truck safety, shelf life, animal protection, environmental sustainability, and much more,” said Brad Bowers, Plant Manager for Oakhurst Dairy. “We have an old adage in the dairy industry that says, ‘keep it cold, keep it clean, keep it moving.’ We believe wholeheartedly that innovating on important details throughout the whole process — from farm to table — without compromising the high quality of the product we get from our farms, helps us put the best milk possible on people’s tables each day.”

Alongside potatoes and fishing, Maine’s dairy industry is firmly rooted in the history books as a pillar of the state’s economy by employing thousands of Mainers and contributing over $1 billion in revenue to Maine’s economy annually — but this hasn’t been maintained without paying attention to necessary

innovations and important sustainability measures for dairy farms across the state. As the largest dairy company in Maine, Oakhurst has been at the helm of many of these innovations, working closely with its employees, state partners, producers, and the Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council to ensure the industry moves forward as one cohesive unit.

“The entire US dairy industry participates in a program called FARM—Farmers Assuring Responsible Management— that includes all farmers, co-ops, and processors working together on animal protection, employee programs, and environmental sustainability,” said Sarah Littlefield, Executive Director of the Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council. “All dairy producers need to follow the same standards, and this plays out with companies like Oakhurst making sure they’re upholding their commitment to the industry.”

Despite all the changes and innovation, one thing remains the same:

Oakhurst delivers the tastiest, freshest, and highest quality dairy products around.

“Thank you to Mainers everywhere for coming along for this 100-year ride with us,” concluded Bennett. “We look forward to the next century of providing delicious and nutritious dairy products for Maine families and beyond.” ABOUT OAKHURST DAIRY Oakhurst is Northern New England’s leading dairy brand and has stood behind every glass of milk and product for 100 years. While the FDA states there is no significant difference between milk from cows treated with artificial growth hormone, Oakhurst made history in 2003 when it asked its milk producers to take America’s First Farmer’s pledge not to use artificial growth hormone. Today, Oakhurst remains committed to the wellbeing of its community through its Giving Goodness charitable donations to local organizations that support healthy, active kids

and a healthy environment. The company produces milk and other dairy and juice products from its headquarters on Forest Avenue in Portland, Maine. In January 2014, Oakhurst became a wholly owned subsidiary of Dairy Farmers of America, a dairy farmer-owned cooperative based in Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, visit www.oakhurstdairy.com.

“WE HAVE AN OLD ADAGE IN THE DAIRY INDUSTRY THAT SAYS, ‘KEEP IT COLD, KEEP IT CLEAN, KEEP IT MOVING.’”

BRAD BOWERS, PLANT MANAGER FOR OAKHURST DAIRY