Dairy Dynasty Crystal Creamery Celebrating 120 Years Crystal Creamery is celebrating its 120th anniversary and is California’s oldest dairy with expertise and leadership in caring for our community, environment and cows while embracing the spirit of everything the California Central Valley has to offer. In 1901, George Knox founded the Crystal Cream & Butter company in the back of a small grocery store in Sacramento where he and his wife churned butter. Twenty years later, in 1921, Crystal was purchased by Carl Hansen, a Danish immigrant. The Hansen family would grow the business over the next 86 years, to become the largest independent dairy processor in California known for its quality milk, cottage cheese, sour cream, and ice cream. In 2007, Crystal Creamery would remain a family-owned business when Foster Dairy Farms, founded in 1941 by Max and Verda Foster, purchased the brand and business from the Hansen’s. The Foster family merged the businesses together to become Crystal Creamery, the largest privately owned dairy in California, producing products under the Crystal Creamery, McColl’s and Humboldt Creamery brands and headquartered in Modesto. “Leading a family-owned company means taking care of our people. Together we are dedicated to producing the most trustworthy products in the industry,” said Dennis Roberts, Crystal Creamery’s President and CEO. He added, “At Crystal Creamery, producing the best dairy products is only part of our company’s promise. We also recognize that we are more than just a dairy company — we are a part of each community we serve.”
The success of Crystal Creamery always starts with the freshest dairy from local and familyowned farms. As we begin working towards the next 120 years, Crystal Creamery remains committed to making the highest quality dairy products accessible to our Californians while continuing to support the communities where we work and live.
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The company has been supporting local community causes and programs through large sponsorships and in small ways like donating product for local events including delivering milk to area food banks and emergency operations centers for distribution during the pandemic. One of the company’s most recognized community sponsorships is its partnership with the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) which supports high school athletics in the Sac-Joaquin, Central and North Coast Sections. Included in this sponsorship is the production of special commemorative milk cartons featuring Section champions for fall, winter, and spring sports. The milk cartons are a fun way of recognizing the hard work and dedication of the student athletes, their coaches, and their families.
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