COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 311512

Creamery Butter Manufacturing

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

15companies1869–2004founding years15still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedArla Foods amba
1869
FoundedFraser & Neave Ltd.
1883
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedSan Miguel Corporation
1913
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedSnow Brand Milk Products Company, Ltd.
1950
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedUnigate PLC
1959
FoundedPrairie Farms Dairy, Inc.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedAssociated Milk Producers, Inc.FoundedGrupo Leche Pascual S.A.
1969
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedDairy Crest Group plc
1987
FoundedOrganic Valley (Coulee Region Organic Produce Pool)
1988
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.FoundedGlanbia plc
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedFonterra Co-Operative Group Ltd.
2001
FoundedTerrena L'Union CANA CAVAL
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
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

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.
San Miguel Corporation →
Active · founded 1913 · Philippines
Best known for its internationally distributed beer, San Miguel Corporation can only be described in superlatives.
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.
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…
Organic Valley (Coulee Region Organic Produce Pool) →
Active · founded 1988
Organic Valley, formally known as the Coulee Region Organic Produce Pool, or CROPP, is the nation's largest cooperative…
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…
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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