 | |
| Formerly | Foster Farms Dairy |
|---|---|
| Industry | Dairy |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Founder | George Knox |
| Headquarters | |
| Website | www |
Crystal Creamery was founded in 1901 by George Knox in Modesto, California as Crystal Cream & Butter. In 1921, Crystal Cream & Butter was purchased by Carl Hansen, a Danish immigrant. The Hansen family led the company for the next 86 years and pioneered many new technologies, growing Crystal Cream & Butter into one of the largest independent dairy processors in the state of California. In 2007, Crystal Cream & Butter was acquired by HP Hood, who sold it later that year to Foster Dairy Farms, which had been founded in 1941 by Max and Verna Foster, a venture that followed the 1939 founding of their Foster Farms. Today, Crystal Creamery claims to be the "largest privately owned dairy in California."[1]
In 2009, Foster Farms Dairy acquired Humboldt Creamery, based in Fernbridge, California (near Eureka). In 2010, Foster Dairy Farms re-branded itself as Crystal Creamery. Crystal Creamery's 120th Anniversary was celebrated in 2021.[2]