Turkey Hill (company) facts for kids
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| Industry | Dairy manufacturer |
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| Founded | 1931 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Founder | Armor Frey |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Andy Jacobs (CEO) |
| Products | Beverages, ice cream, frozen desserts |
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Number of employees
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800 |
Turkey Hill Dairy, often called Turkey Hill, is a well-known American brand. They make popular iced tea, ice cream, and other drinks and frozen desserts. You can find their products all over the United States and in other countries too. The company's main office is in Conestoga, Pennsylvania. Turkey Hill was part of Kroger from 1985 until 2019. Then, a company called Peak Rock Capital bought it.
Turkey Hill Dairy is a separate business from Turkey Hill Minit Markets. Turkey Hill Minit Markets is a chain of over 260 gas station convenience stores. These stores sell Turkey Hill products in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.
In 2011, Turkey Hill opened a special place called The Turkey Hill Experience. It's a 17,000-square-foot (1,600-square-meter) attraction in Columbia, Pennsylvania. This place celebrates Turkey Hill's history. It also shows how they make their delicious ice cream and iced tea.
Discovering Turkey Hill Dairy
The Story of Turkey Hill
Turkey Hill Dairy started way back in 1931 during the Great Depression. A farmer named Armor Frey began selling bottled milk to his neighbors. He delivered the milk right from his car! Armor's family got their farm directly from Thomas and Richard Penn. These were the sons of William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania. The old paper deed for the farm even mentioned "turkeyhill."
The area was called Turkey Hill Ridge by the Conestoga Indians. They named it for the many wild turkeys found there. So, Armor's family decided to name their dairy after the farm's deed and the nearby hill.
In 1947, Armor sold the dairy to his sons: Glen, Emerson, and Charles Frey. Milking cows and delivering milk helped these three families earn a good living.
Growing with Ice Cream and Tea
In 1954, the dairy started making ice cream. It became very popular in Lancaster County. By 1981, they began selling their ice cream in a few independent stores in Philadelphia. Turkey Hill quickly grew, expanding into New Jersey and up the East Coast.
In the early 2000s, Turkey Hill products reached places further west. This included cities like Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. Over the next few years, Turkey Hill spread its products even more. Today, their teas are sold in 45 states. Their ice cream is sold in 43 states across the U.S.
Who Owns Turkey Hill?
In 1985, the dairy and the stores were sold to Dillons. Dillons was a part of Kroger, a big grocery company. Even with new owners, the Frey family stayed very involved. Charles Frey, Armor Frey's youngest son, remained as president. His nephew, Quintin Frey (Emerson Frey's son), took over as president in 1991. Quintin Frey retired in May 2013.
Wind Power for Production
In 2011, Turkey Hill teamed up with PPL Renewable Energy. They also worked with the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority. Together, they bought electricity from two General Electric wind turbines. These turbines are on the Frey Farm landfill, right next to Turkey Hill's factory. The wind turbines can make enough power to supply 25 percent of the company's electricity needs each year. This helps Turkey Hill be more eco-friendly!
Delicious Products
In 2012, Turkey Hill Dairy made a lot of products. They produced 29 million U.S. gallons (110,000,000 liters) of frozen dairy dessert. They also made 56.6 million US gallons (214,000,000 L) of iced tea and other drinks. Plus, they produced 7.1 million US gallons (27,000,000 L) of milk.
Since 2000, Turkey Hill has been one of the top-selling brands of iced tea that you find in the refrigerated section. In 2011, they were the fourth-largest ice cream maker. Only Nestlé (with brands like Dreyer's/Edy's, Häagen-Dazs), Unilever (with Breyers and Ben & Jerry's), and Wells' Dairy (with Blue Bunny) made more.
Ice Cream Flavors
Turkey Hill makes 63 different flavors of ice cream, frozen dairy dessert, and sherbet. These include both regular and special Limited Edition flavors. You can buy them in 46-US-fluid-ounce (1,400 mL) and 1-US-pint (470 mL) sizes. Ice cream shops can even buy bigger 3-US-gallon (11 L) sizes. Their product lines include Premium Ice Cream, All Natural Ice Cream, and No Sugar Added options. They also make frozen dairy dessert, which is like ice cream but made with vegetable oil, and sherbet.
Refreshing Iced Tea
The Turkey Hill Iced Tea collection has over 20 flavors. Some are seasonal, and some are available all year. Their traditional teas are made using a special process. This includes cold bottling, cold shipping, and keeping them cold in stores. This helps keep the tea fresh and tasty.
Other Drinks
Turkey Hill also makes other drinks. These include fruit drinks like lemonade and fruit punch. They offer different types of milk: fat-free, 1% lowfat, 2% reduced fat, and whole milk. They even have 1% lowfat chocolate milk. During the Christmas season, they distribute egg nog.
Team-Ups and Support
Turkey Hill Dairy works with other companies to create special ice cream flavors. They have partnered with Snyder's of Hanover, Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, and Tootsie Roll Industries' Junior Mints. This allows them to make ice cream flavors based on these popular snacks.
Turkey Hill used to partner with several professional sports teams. These included the Lancaster Stormers, Camden Riversharks, and the York Revolution. These are all baseball teams in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
They also had partnerships with bigger sports teams. These included Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union, Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. In the National Football League, they partnered with the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. For some of these teams, Turkey Hill even made official team ice cream flavors!
The Turkey Hill Experience
The Turkey Hill Experience is a fun, interactive attraction. It's 17,000 sq ft (1,600 m2) big and located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. This place celebrates Turkey Hill Dairy's history. It also shows how they make their ice cream and iced tea. It opened in June 2011. You can find it in Columbia, Pennsylvania, about six miles from the main factory in Conestoga, Pennsylvania.
Fun Displays and Activities
The Turkey Hill Experience has many interactive displays. These are designed to be fun for both kids and adults. You can learn about Turkey Hill Dairy's history. You'll also discover how they make iced tea and ice cream.
One cool activity lets you create your own virtual ice cream flavor. They use green-screen technology for this. You can even star in your own Turkey Hill TV commercial! In June 2013, a new exhibit opened called the Turkey Hill Taste Lab.
Building History
The Turkey Hill Experience is located in an old silk mill. It was once owned by Ashley and Bailey. Part of the building was first built in 1899. Over the years, the building had different owners and uses. It was empty for more than 25 years after a company called Tidy Products stopped using it as a sewing factory in the late 1970s.
Turkey Hill worked with a developer to fix up the building. They renovated it to create the fun experience you see today.
See also
- Byrne Dairy
- Wawa (company)
