Balford Farms

Balford Farms
Private
Industry Food
Founded 1892
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States
Founder Frank B. Baldwin
Headquarters Burlington, New Jersey,
United States
Area served
 New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York
Key people
 Laurence E. Bowes (CEO)
Products Dairy
Website http://balford.com

Balford Farms is an American dairy company located in Burlington, New Jersey. It is the oldest privately-owned and operated independent distributor of dairy products in the Lehigh Valley region.[1]

Along with their own brands, Balford Farms sells and distributes products from other dairy companies including Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms, Swiss Premium, Dannon, Yoplait, Hershey's, Tropicana and International Delight.[2]

History

Balford Farms was founded in 1892 by a teenager named Frank B. Baldwin, using a horse and wagon to deliver milk to customers throughout Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after school.[3] As his business grew, father Edgar A. Baldwin helped with the management of day-to-day operations and expanded the business into a profitable company called Baldwin Dairies.[4][5]

In 1965, Baldwin Dairies merged with Frankford Dairies of Philadelphia to become Baldwin-Frankford Dairies, Inc. George H. Baldwin, Sr. and John Baldwin, grandsons of Frank B. Baldwin, changed the name to Balford Farms in 1972.[3]

Expansion of Balford Farms continued in 1980 with the purchase of a 70,000 ft² (6,503 m²) warehouse in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Over the next few years, the company acquired small independent dairy and food companies to become a major distributor in the Lehigh Valley. Balford Farms merged with another longtime business in Philadelphia, Quality Dairy Products (operating as Breuninger's Dairy) in 1996.[3]

Dairy Farmers of America sold their warehousing and distribution center in Harleysville, Pennsylvania to Balford Farms in 2012, formerly owned by Keller's Creamery, as part of a consolidation project.[6]

In 2014, Balford Farms took control of a warehouse and distribution center in Binghamton, New York formerly owned by Crowley Foods.[7] The company also acquired Rosenberger's Dairy of Hatfield, Pennsylvania and part ownership of Crowley Foods from HP Hood.[8]

Executives

Current corporate executives at Balford Farms:[9]

  • Laurence E. Bowes — President & CEO
  • Pamela Bilger — Vice President, Human Resources
  • Daniel T. Smith — Vice President, Operations
  • Robert E. Venafra — Vice President, Finance
  • Wayne E. Baldwin — Vice President, IT
  • George H. Baldwin, Jr. — Chairman

References

  1. ↑ Balford Farms (Home Page), Retrieved Feb. 8, 2015.
  2. ↑ Balford Farms (Products), Retrieved Feb. 8, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Balford Farms (About Us), Retrieved Feb. 8, 2015.
  4. ↑ Find-A-Grave (Frank Bruce Baldwin), Retrieved Feb. 8, 2015.
  5. ↑ Ancestry.com, 1880 United States Federal Census, Retrieved Feb. 8, 2015.
  6. ↑ Montgomery Media, Keller's Creamery in Harleysville to Close by Brian Bingaman (July 25, 2012), Retrieved Feb. 8, 2015.
  7. ↑ WNBF News Radio 1290, Conklin Warehouse Now Operated By Balford Farms by Bob Joseph (October 29, 2014), Retrieved Feb. 8, 2015.
  8. ↑ The Morning Call, Rosenberger's Dairies Sold Again by Anthony Salamone (October 29, 2014), Retrieved Feb. 8, 2015.
  9. ↑ Balford Farms (Corporate Executives), Retrieved Feb. 8, 2015.
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