Crowley Foods (legal name Crowley Foods LLC) is an American

dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

company formerly based in

Binghamton, New York Binghamton ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the c ...

. It has been a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

of HP Hood LLC since being purchased by the company in 2004, which is headquartered in

Lynnfield, Massachusetts Lynnfield is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 13,000. Lynnfield initially consisted of two distinct villages with a single governing body. Lynnfield Center had a mostly agricultura ...

.Crowley Foods (About Crowley Foods)
Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015.Pressconnects, ''Press & Sun Bulletin'', ''Kosher dairy starts production at former Crowley plant'' by Jeff Platsky, November 30, 2016
Retrieved May 8, 2017. Products provided by the company include

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

, half and half,

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...

cottage cheese Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavour and a creamy, heterogeneous, soupy texture, made from skimmed milk. An essential step in the manufacturing process distinguishing cottage cheese from other fresh cheeses is the additio ...

sour cream Sour cream (sometimes known as soured cream in British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturall ...

and

yogurt Yogurt (; , from , ; also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to ...

.Crowley Foods (Our Products)
Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015. The original plant located on Conklin Avenue in Binghamton manufactured these dairy products until the acquisition by HP Hood, when certain Crowley Foods items began to be made at facilities elsewhere which were better equipped. Production at the plant ceased altogether in 2012, but the warehouse and distribution center continued to be used until 2014.Alice Maggior

WBNG Channel 12 Action News, (December 6, 2011)], Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015.Anna Norri
"Conklin Dairy Distribution Center Staying Open"
WBNG Channel 12 Action News (September 26, 2014)], Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015. A news source from Binghamton mentions that Balford Farms of

Burlington, New Jersey Burlington is a City (New Jersey), city situated on the banks of the Delaware River in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the c ...

, purchased the rights to Crowley Foods in 2014. Another source states that Balford Farms is a part-owner, having only a portion of the assets. According to the history section on the Crowley Foods website, as of 2017, it mentions that their products are still part of the HP Hood line of brands. Balford Farms took over the warehouse and distribution center for Crowley Foods, located in nearby Conklin, New York, in 2014."Balford Farms Buys Crowley's"
, Binghamton.com (September 26, 2014), Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015. Mountain Fresh Dairy of

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, purchased the Binghamton plant in 2013, and began production at the facility in late 2016. They ceased operations two years later and the building was once again vacant. It was sold to a local development company in 2022.Binghamton Homepage, ''Crowley factory lofts housing project planned'' by Noah Holloway, December 30, 2022
Retrieved Sep. 2, 2023.WNBF News Radio 92.1 FM, ''Equipment Removed From Former Binghamton Crowley Milk Plant'' by Bob Joseph, December 19, 2022
Retrieved Sep. 2, 2023.

History

Crowley Foods was founded in 1904 by grocery clerk James K. "J.K." Crowley when he purchased a fledgling dairy business for $500.00 in

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Town of Poughkeepsie, New York (state), New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie i ...

.1920 United States Federal Census
Ancestry.com, Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015. His company assets began with a horse and wagon, ice house, barn, some cans and bottles as well as a milk delivery route serving local customers.
Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015. In 1915, Crowley moved and expanded his business at Binghamton as the location was closer to numerous dairy farms in upstate New York."Crowley Plant in Binghamton Begins to be Sold Off"
The Whale 99.1 FM, by Big Wally (March 25, 2013), Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015. Originally known as Crowley's Dairy Company, manufacturing and distribution of dairy products began at the facility on Conklin Avenue and would continue there for almost 100 years. A second plant opened at

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a City (New York), city in Orange County, New York, United States. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area. ...

, in 1921. Retail outlets and other production facilities soon followed."Crowley's Opens Newburgh Plant"
Fulton History, ''Binghamton Press'',(March 6, 1950) page 5, Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015. At its peak, Crowley's Dairy Company sold their products throughout much of the northeastern United States. Crowley's Dairy Company would sponsor a set of 18

baseball cards A baseball card is a type of trading card relating to baseball, usually printed on cardboard, silk, or plastic. In the 1950s, they came with a stick of gum and a limited number of cards. These cards feature one or more baseball players, teams, s ...

featuring players from the

Binghamton Triplets The Binghamton Triplets were a minor league baseball team based in Binghamton, New York between 1923 and 1963. The franchise played as members of the New York–Penn League (1923–1937), Eastern League (1938–1963), New York–Penn League ( ...

, who won the Eastern League championship in 1940.Blogspot, Bob Lemke's Blog
"Auction exposes Bianci as super-common in 1940 Crowley's Milk Binghamton team set."
(October 21, 2013), Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015. The team was a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

affiliate of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

during that time. For many years Crowley milk cartons proclaimed their motto, "Crowley's Milk As Good as Any Better'n Some". Crowley Foods was sold to Dutch company NV Wessanen Koninklijke Fabrieken (now Royal Wessanen) in 1983 for $16.4 million. Royal Wessanen then did a roll up of several additional regional dairy brands. National Dairy Holdings would purchase Crowley Foods and other brands in the portfolio from Royal Wessanen in 2001 for $400 million, only to be acquired by HP Hood three years later in a deal that also included Kemps of

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

."Kosher Dairy Plant to Open in Former Crowley Site"
''Press & Sun Bulletin'' by Jon Harris, Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015. The company has competed in and won many dairy competitions over the years. In recent times, Crowley Foods broke their own record by winning five

gold medals A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

and seven silver medals in a competition of prestigious dairy foods at the 2005

Great New York State Fair The New York State Fair, also known as the Great New York State Fair, is a 13-day showcase of agriculture, entertainment, education, and technology. With midway rides, concessionaires, exhibits, and concerts, it has become New York's largest a ...

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

. Crowley Foods won a total of ten medals at the same event a year earlier."New Products Company 2005: Crowley Foods, Binghamton, N.Y."
Dairy Foods (November 1, 2005), Retrieved Feb. 5, 2015.

Acquisitions

Crowley Foods has acquired a number of dairy companies to expand business, including: * Axelrod Foods of New York City in 1961.Axelrod Foods (History)
, Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015. * Heluva Good! of Sodus, New York, in 1984."A Heluva Good Idea"
Associated Press, ''PostStar'' (September 15, 2002), Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015. * M. Maggio Company of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1996.Philly.com
"Maggios Sell Their Cheese Business The S. Phila. Producer of Ricotta And Mozzarella is Quitting After 82 Years"
by Rosland Briggs (July 14, 1998), Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015. * Penn Maid Foods of Philadelphia in 1996. * Ready Food Products of Philadelphia in 1996. * Rosenberger's Dairy of

Hatfield, Pennsylvania Hatfield is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,290 at the time of the 2010 census. It is part of the North Penn Valley region that is centered around the borough of Lansdale, ...

, in 2002.Anthony Salamon
"Rosenberger's Dairies Sold Again"
''The Morning Call'' (October 29, 2014), Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015. All companies were acquired by HP Hood in 2004. The Ready Food Products brands were discontinued. Rosenberger's Dairy was sold to Balford Farms in 2014. Crowley Foods acquired a production plant from defunct Jersey Milk & Cream Company in 1954, located in LaFargeville, New York. The facility is now operated by HP Hood.1000 Islands Ag Tour (HP Hood LLC)
Retrieved Feb. 6, 2015.

References

{{reflist

External links

Crowley Foods (Official Website)
Dairy farming Binghamton, New York Food and drink companies established in 1904 1904 establishments in New York (state)