Elmhurst 1925 facts for kids
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| Industry | Beverage |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Elmhurst Dairy |
| Founded | 1925 in Queens, New York |
| Headquarters | Elma, New York |
| Services | Plant milks |
| Owner | Henry Schwartz |
Elmhurst 1925 is a company that makes delicious plant-based drinks. They are located in Elma, New York. Instead of using milk from animals, they create drinks from nuts, grains, and seeds. Their first plant milks, like almond, cashew, hazelnut, and walnut, were introduced in March 2017. Since then, they have launched many more products. These include unsweetened plant milks with very few ingredients, special barista editions, dairy-free creamers, and ready-to-drink options.
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The Story of Elmhurst
Elmhurst began in 1925 in Queens, New York. It was first a dairy company, making regular milk. Henry Schwartz, the current owner, shared that his father and uncle started the business. They used their own father's milk house in the Elmhurst neighborhood. In the 1930s, the Schwartz brothers moved their business to the Jamaica area. There, they worked with their brother-in-law, who had a farm with 200 cows. They then set up a factory to make milk.
The Elmhurst Dairy factory stayed in Jamaica until it closed in 2016. Henry Schwartz explained that the family kept the factory open for a long time, even when it was losing money. It was the last milk factory left in New York City.
After closing the dairy, Elmhurst Dairy changed its name to Elmhurst 1925. They completely switched their focus from dairy milk to plant-based milks. In 2017, they moved their manufacturing to a new 30,000 square foot factory. This new factory is next to their sister company, Steuben Foods. The new line of nut milks was launched in March 2017.
What Products Does Elmhurst Make?
Elmhurst 1925 offers a wide variety of products and keeps adding new ones. The first plant milks were Milked Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts, and Hazelnuts. These came out in March 2017. Later, in September 2017, they showed off more products. These included Milked Oats, Brown Rice, Peanuts, and Peanuts with Chocolate. They also introduced unsweetened versions of Milked Almonds and Hazelnuts. These new products became available in January 2018. Elmhurst Milked Peanuts is special because it's the only packaged peanut-based milk you can buy.
All Elmhurst products come in 32-fluid-ounce (946 mL) cartons. You can find them in stores across the country. You can also buy them directly from their website if you live in the main part of the US. All of Elmhurst's products are vegan, which means they don't use any animal products. They are also lactose-free, kosher-certified, and certified non-GMO. This means they don't contain genetically modified ingredients.
How Elmhurst Makes Its Milks: HydroRelease
Elmhurst uses a special way to make its milks called the HydroRelease method. Dr. Cheryl Mitchell created this process over five years. She worked on it at a research center in California. Before this, she had developed Rice Dream for another company. In 2015, Dr. Mitchell teamed up with Henry Schwartz, the owner of Elmhurst and Steuben Foods. Their goal was to bring this new technology to many people. This led to the opening of Elmhurst's special cold-milling factory in Elma, New York, in 2017.
Dr. Mitchell explains that the process starts with the main ingredients: nuts, grains, or seeds. The HydroRelease method separates these ingredients into their tiny parts. These parts include protein, fat, fiber, and important nutrients. Then, these parts are put back together to form a liquid that looks and feels like milk. This liquid keeps all the good nutrition from the original nut, grain, or seed. The process does not use any gums, stabilizers, or emulsifiers. Because the ingredients are separated, some fiber might be taken out. This fiber can then be used for other things, like making pasta.
Henry Schwartz says that Elmhurst's plant milks contain much more of the actual nuts than other brands. He claims they have up to four times more nuts!
Certifications and Awards
Elmhurst products have received several important certifications and awards. These show that their products meet high standards.
Certifications
- Elmhurst Milked Oats has the 100% Whole Grain Stamp. This stamp is from the Oldways Whole Grains Council. It means that 100% of the grain in the product is whole grain. It also means each serving has at least 16 grams of whole grain. Elmhurst Milked Oats is labeled as having 20 grams of whole grain per serving.
- All Elmhurst products are kosher-certified. This means they follow Jewish dietary laws. They are classified as pareve by the Orthodox Union.
- All Elmhurst products are certified Non-GMO by the Non-GMO Project. This means they do not contain genetically modified organisms.
- All Elmhurst cartons have the Forest Stewardship Council trademark. This shows that the paper used comes from responsibly managed forests.
- All Elmhurst cartons also have a recycle symbol. This symbol is linked to the Carton Council. The Carton Council was started in 2009 by SIG Combibloc, which makes Elmhurst's packaging, and other carton makers.
Awards and Recognition
- VegNews magazine named Elmhurst 1925 "Company of the Year" in its 2017 Veggie Awards.
- VegWorld Magazine said Elmhurst 1925 was "Best in Show" among vegan milks at Natural Products Expo East 2017.
- Elmhurst 1925 won the New Hope Network's Natural Products Expo East 2017 NEXTY Award for "Best New Beverage."
- Clean Eating Magazine gave Elmhurst 1925 the 2019 Clean Choice Award.
- VegNews awarded Elmhurst 1925 "Best New Vegan Product" at New Hope Network's Natural Products Expo West 2019.
- Clean Eating Magazine gave Elmhurst 1925 the 2020 Clean Choice Award again.
- The National Restaurant Show gave Elmhurst 1925 the 2020 FABI Award for their Barista Editions.
