Over its first 9 years, the 172 Sargeant Street dairy center transitioned from a small Holyoke corporation to a regional enterprise and, ultimately, to a conglomerate spanning New England and New York states. In 1928, the company returned to its local roots when the General Ice Cream Corporation sold the unneeded plant to the Holyoke Producers' Dairy Company, the subject of today's topic.
The Holyoke Producers' Dairy Company started as the Holyoke Milk Producers Association in 1916. This was a step in uniting dairy farmers, who delivered dairy products to Holyoke. At the time, 300 dairy farmers belonged to the association, many of whom had farms located in South Hadley Falls, Southampton, Easthampton, Belchertown, Granby, Amherst, and Whately.
The first association meeting was held at the Center Congregational Church on October 7, 1916. The meetings often had guest speakers to discuss farming practices, maintaining dairy cattle, business methods, and pricing.
In early 1921, discussions centered on the possibility of having its own milk station. The dairy would be a facility that would handle surplus milk and convert it to butter, cheese, and cream. Having such a facility owned by farmers would eliminate the middleman, thereby boosting profits and enabling farmers to purchase finer dairy cows and better equipment.
The facility chosen was the former Torville & Blanchette plant on North Street in South Hadley Falls. It was at this time that the old association was annulled, and the Holyoke Producers' Dairy Company (HPDCo) was incorporated. In 1923, the company expended $3,000 to build an annex on its North Street property.
In March 1928, an opportunity arose to move into a more advantageous business site. General Ice Cream Inc., which had recently purchased Eastern Dairies/Tait Brothers, no longer needed the dairy that operated at 172 Sargeant Street. On March 15, 1928, the deed was signed, transferring ownership to HPDCo. The former facility on North Street in South Hadley was transferred to the town to be used as the town yard.
For the next 15 years, HPDCo conducted its dairy at the Sargeant Street plant. Many ads were placed in the Holyoke Transcript newspaper promoting the sterilization, pasteurization, and health benefits of drinking Holyoke Producers' Dairy Company's superior milk. An assortment of these ads is shown below.
The company was a valued contributor to the city's needs, providing milk for infants and children. Holyoke Producers' Dairy also regularly supplied milk to families in need.
In 1930, the company posted a list of over 70 restaurants, fruit stores, hotels, and markets purchasing milk and milk products from the collective.
The company also produced buttermilk, cream, cottage cheese, and choc-o-lishus, a chocolate-flavored product to add to milk and desserts. Unlike its predecessor, it was not shown producing ice cream products.
In 1932, the company added a lunch counter, replacing the confectionery store previously operated by Edward R. Lynch for 8 years. The lunch counter featured milk, ice cream treats, and sandwiches. For several years, ads would endorse its cottage cheese sandwiches.
In 1935, three new milk delivery trucks were purchased from Herbert W. Scott Chevrolet at 120 Suffolk Street. The dealership site was later occupied by Don Allen, Ed Knacke, and Lawler Chevrolet.
In 1943, Holyoke Producers' Dairy Company merged into H. P. Hood & Sons Dairy Co. of Boston. It was wartime, and there would be substantial savings in gasoline, rubber, and other materials needed for the war effort. Employees would continue in their current positions. At the time, Hood was a 97-year-old business.
The H. P. Hood years will be featured in the next and final installment of 172 Sargeant Street Dairies.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations include Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram and Springfield (Massachusetts) Morning Union, with publication dates and pages shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription), Price & Lee City Directories, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
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