Oberweis Dairy facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Dairy, Restaurant, home delivery |
| Founded | 1927 |
| Headquarters | 951 Ice Cream Dr.,
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United States
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Number of locations
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41 |
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Area served
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IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, NC, TX, WI |
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Key people
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Jim Oberweis, Chairman Joe Kirby, CEO |
| Products | Dairy and fast food |
Oberweis Dairy is a company based in North Aurora, Illinois, in the United States. It runs several businesses that sell dairy products and fast food. Oberweis Dairy is well-known in the Midwest region of the U.S.
The company offers a home delivery service in many states. These include Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. They deliver classic dairy items like milk, ice cream, cheese, and yogurt. They also deliver bacon and special seasonal products.
Oberweis also has "Dairy and Ice Cream Stores" in the Chicago area. These stores sell many of the same products as the home delivery service. Some of their products, like milk, are also sold in local supermarkets. Since 2004, the company has offered franchises. This helped their "Dairy and Ice Cream Stores" open in Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, and Michigan.
In 2012, Oberweis started a new chain of fast-food hamburger restaurants called "That Burger Joint." The Oberweis family still owns the company.
Contents
The Story of Oberweis Dairy
The story of Oberweis Dairy began in 1915. Peter J. Oberweis started by selling extra milk from his farm to his neighbors. His farm was located near Aurora, Illinois. In 1927, this small business became a full-time job.
Peter J. Oberweis bought half of a business called Big Woods Dairy. He then used a horse and milk float to deliver milk. This was how milk was delivered to homes back then.
During the Great Depression, Peter's son, Joe, left high school to help with the family business. Joe continued to run the company through the 1950s.
Later, in 1986, Jim Oberweis bought the company from his brother. Jim's son, Joe, became the CEO in 2007. In 2022, Oberweis Dairy started buying milk from large cooperatives. Before this, they bought milk directly from family farms.
In April 2024, Oberweis Dairy had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This is a legal step that helps a company reorganize its finances.
Milk Delivered to Your Door
The home delivery service started way back in 1927. It has been running ever since! Milk is delivered in glass bottles, just like it was in the 1960s. Today, a special smartphone app helps customers track their deliveries.
Ice Cream Stores and More
The "Dairy and Ice Cream Stores" first opened in 1951. Today, you can find these stores in Chicago and its suburbs. They are also in northwest Indiana, around St. Louis, Missouri, near Indianapolis, Indiana, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and close to Detroit, Michigan. Some stores are owned by the company, while others are franchises.
New ideas for the stores are often tested at the company's main office in North Aurora. For example, the drive-through service was tested there first. A lunch and sandwich program was also tried from 2004 to 2006. In 2012, Oberweis said that each dairy store earns a lot of money each year.
That Burger Joint Restaurants
In 2012, Oberweis opened its first quick-service hamburger restaurant. It was named That Burger Joint. The goal was to open more of these restaurants and compete with other popular burger chains like Five Guys.
Woodgrain Neapolitan Pizzeria
In 2017, Oberweis Dairy bought a pizza company called Woodgrain Neapolitan Pizzeria. This pizzeria makes custom personal pizzas very quickly.
Health and Quality Standards
Oberweis Dairy is very careful about the milk they sell. They do not use milk from cows that have been treated with rBGH. This is a special hormone. The United States Food and Drug Administration says rBGH is safe for humans. However, Oberweis Dairy chooses not to use it.
Their motto is "provide simply the best people, products, and places." To follow this, they require all their dairy farmers to sign an agreement each year. This agreement states that farmers will not use rBGH.
The cows that provide milk for Oberweis eat a healthy diet. This includes corn, corn silage, and soy meal for protein. They also eat haylage (chopped hay) and dry hay. Vitamins and minerals are added to make sure their diet is balanced. When the weather is good, most of the dairy cows (90%) get to graze in pastures.
