Cabot Creamery facts for kids
| Retailers' cooperative | |
| Industry | Food processing |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Headquarters |
,
United States
|
The Cabot Creamery Cooperative is an American dairy company. It is owned by a group of farmers called Agri-Mark. The cooperative has a plant in Cabot, Vermont, where they make their products. Their main office is in Waitsfield, Vermont.
Contents
History of Cabot Creamery
The Cabot Creamery started in 1919. About 94 farmers invested money to build the first plant. They paid based on how many cows they owned.
At first, the cooperative made butter from extra milk. They then shipped their products to other places. In 1930, they began making cheese. By 1960, about 600 farmers were part of the cooperative.
Over time, fewer farms were part of the group. So, in 1992, the Cabot Farmers Cooperative Creamery joined with Agri-Mark. Agri-Mark is a larger cooperative with many farm families from New England and New York. After this, the company became Cabot Creamery Cooperative Inc. It is now a part of Agri-Mark.
In 2008, about 400 Cabot farms in Vermont were part of Agri-Mark. The Cabot Farmers' store is located in Waterbury, Vermont.
Agri-Mark also owns another cheese company called McCadam Cheese. McCadam started in 1876 in Heuvelton, New York. It became well-known after winning an award in Chicago in 1894. In 1934, McCadam opened a new cheese factory in Chateaugay, New York. This is still their main factory today. McCadam joined Agri-Mark/Cabot in 2003.
Around 2012, about 1,200 farms were members across New England and New York. By 2021, there were about 800 farms in the cooperative. This shows that the number of farms has changed over the years. The cooperative still follows the Rochdale Principles, which are rules for how cooperatives should work.
In 2012, Cabot also started working with Dankin Farm. This helped them sell products online and for other reasons.
Awards and Recognition
Cabot products have won several awards. In 2008, Wine Spectator magazine named Cabot cloth-bound cheddar as one of the "100 great cheeses" in the world. Also in 2008, Cabot Monterey Jack cheese received an award from the American Cheese Society.
How the Cooperative Works
Agri-Mark is a cooperative, which means it is owned by its members. These members are the farmers who produce the milk. The farmers help fund the cooperative. They also elect people to be on the board of directors. This means the farmers have a say in how the company is run.
The cooperative keeps some of its extra earnings to help the business grow. This money is like an investment from the farmers. If a farmer leaves the cooperative, this investment is paid back over several years. Any extra earnings beyond this are given back to the farmer members.
Company Operations
When Cabot and Agri-Mark merged in 1994, their total sales were $30 million. By 2008, sales reached $350 million. In 2020, Agri-Mark's total sales for all its products and brands were almost $1 billion.
See also
