Dean Foods

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Dean Foods Company

Type	Public (NYSE: DF)
Founded	1925
Headquarters	Dallas, Texas, United States of America
Key people	Gregg L. Engles, CEO & Chairman of the Board
Industry	Agribusiness
Products	Milk, Soymilk
Revenue	USD$11,821 Million (2007)^[1]
Operating income	USD$553 Million (2007)^[2]
Net income	USD$131 Million (2007)^[3]
Total assets	USD$7,033 Million (2007)^[4]
Total equity	USD$51 Million (2007)^[5]
Employees	27,030 (December 4, 2006)
Website	deanfoods.com

Dean Foods NYSE: DF is the largest dairy processor and distributor in the world.[1][2] Dean Foods sells more milk in the U.S. than any other company. The company is based in Dallas, Texas.

The company was founded in 1925 by Sam Dean, Sr. as Dean Evaporated Milk Company in Pecatonica, Illinois.^[6]

Dean Foods grew throughout the 1980s and 1990s by purchasing many regional milk companies. In 2001, Dean Foods, then the second-largest milk company, was purchased by Suiza Foods, then the largest. The resulting merged company was named Dean Foods, making it the largest milk company by far.

The company has 27,000 employees.^[7]

Their brands also include organic and non-dairy milks such as Horizon Organic and Silk, which are distributed through their subsidiary White Wave Foods. They are also the largest producer of soy milk in the United States, owning a second soy milk brand as well (Sun Soy).

In addition, Dean Foods owns many other brands. Dairy products with any of the following brand names are owned by Dean: Adohr Farms, AltaDena, Barbe's, Barber's, Berkeley Farms, Borden, Broughton Foods Company, Brown's Dairy, Celta, Country Delite, Country Fresh, Creamland, Dairy Ease, Dairy Fresh, Dean Foods Ultra, Gandy's, Garelick Farms, Hygeia, Ideal Dairy, Jilbert's Dairy, Lehigh Valley Dairies, Liberty Dairy (in Evart, Michigan, and available mainly at Meijer Stores), Louis Trauth, Mayfield Dairy, McArthur Dairy, Meadow Brook, Meadow Gold, Model Dairy, Oak Farms, PET Evaporated Milk, Price's, Purity, Reiter, Robinson Dairy, Schenkel's, Schepps, Shenandoah's Pride, Swiss Farms, T.G. Lee, Tuscan Dairy Farms, and Verifine. Dean Foods also carries the The Hershey Company brand of milkshakes. It licenses the Land O'Lakes brand, selling creamers and fluid dairy products under the name.^[8] Many brands of pickles are produced by Dean, including 80% of store-brand pickles. Dean also owns miscellaneous brands of sauces, olives, instant breakfasts, and other edibles.

Dean Foods reached internet phenomenon status on August 9th, 2006, when The New York Times published an article relating to users of YTMND.com leaving humorous reviews on a gallon of "Tuscan Whole Milk" available on Amazon.com. Tuscan is a brand under the Dean Foods corporation.

In August, 2006, Dean Foods acquired Jilbert's Dairy, a 70 year old family run dairy business near Marquette, Michigan in the Upper peninsula.^[9]

In December 2007, Dean Foods bought the Wells Dairy milk plant in Le Mars, Iowa. ^[10]

[edit] Consumer Concerns

Several of Dean Food, Co.'s subsidiaries (such as White Wave Foods) and associated brands such as Horizon, Aurora and Organic Valley (Aurora and OV not being owned by Dean) have come under controversy as USDA investigations have filed 14 willfull violations of the federal laws which govern organic foods.^[11] Thus, the organic status of the brands are currently in contention pending further federal investigation. The Organic Consumers Association has also led an economically effective boycott for these and other reasons.^[12] Also, in 2007, 16 farmers in the Southeast United States, National Dairy Holdings and Dairy Farmers of America (both dairy farmer's cooperatives in the Southeast) have filed suit against Dean Foods, Co. under allegations that the company has been actively involved in price-fixing.^[13]