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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Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin |
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Key people
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Adam Kraber, President & CEO |
| Products | Dairy and fast food |
| Parent | Hoffmann Family of Companies |
Oberweis Dairy is a company that sells dairy products and runs fast food restaurants. Its main office is in North Aurora, Illinois, in the United States. Oberweis is known for its home delivery service. They bring milk, ice cream, cheese, and yogurt right to people's homes. This service is available in parts of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
The company also has many "Dairy and Ice Cream Stores." These stores sell similar products to the home delivery service. You can find their milk in some supermarkets too. Since 2004, Oberweis has also allowed other people to open their own "Dairy and Ice Cream Stores" as franchises. This helped them grow into Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, and Michigan. In 2012, Oberweis even started a new hamburger restaurant chain called "That Burger Joint."
Contents
The Story of Oberweis Dairy
How It All Started
The Oberweis story began in 1915. Peter J. Oberweis started by selling extra milk from his farm to his neighbors. His farm was located near Aurora, Illinois. The business became a full-time job in 1927. That year, Peter J. Oberweis bought half of a company called Big Woods Dairy. He then began delivering milk using a horse and a special milk cart.
During a tough time called the Great Depression, Peter's son, Joe, left high school. He wanted to help his family run the dairy business. Joe continued to lead the company through the 1950s. The business stayed in the family for many years.
New Ownership and Growth
In 1986, Jim Oberweis bought the company from his brother. Later, in 2007, he made his son, Joe, the CEO. For a long time, Oberweis Dairy bought milk from a small group of family farms. However, in October 2022, they started buying milk from larger groups of farms.
In April 2024, Oberweis Dairy faced some financial challenges. They needed help to keep the business going. In May 2024, a company called Hoffmann Family of Companies bought Oberweis Dairy. They plan to keep the company running and even help it grow more. By June 2024, the Hoffmann Family of Companies officially owned Oberweis Dairy.
Milk Delivered to Your Door
The home delivery service started way back in 1927. It has been going strong ever since! Oberweis still delivers milk in glass bottles, just like many years ago. Today, you can even use a special app on your phone to track your milk delivery.
Oberweis Stores and Ice Cream
The first "Dairy and Ice Cream Stores" opened in 1951. Today, you can find these stores in Chicago and its nearby towns. They are also in northwest Indiana, around St. Louis, Missouri, near Indianapolis, Indiana, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and close to Detroit, Michigan. Some new ideas for the stores are first tested at the main office in North Aurora. For example, they tested drive-through service there. In 2012, Oberweis shared that each dairy store makes a lot of money each year.
More Than Just Dairy
In 2012, Oberweis opened a new type of restaurant. It was a quick-service hamburger place called "That Burger Joint." The idea was to open many of these restaurants.
In 2017, Oberweis Dairy also bought a pizza restaurant. It was called Woodgrain Neapolitan Pizzeria. This restaurant made special personal pizzas.
