Despite a growing trend of milk alternatives, dairy milk remains the preference of more than 85% of Americans (via Morning AGClips). Whether youre adding it to your morning coffee, pouring it into your breakfast cereal bowl, or enjoying a cool glass on its own, dairy milk offers a number of benefits, like being an excellent source of potassium, calcium, vitamin D, fatty acids, and protein.
There was a time when Americans got their milk from local dairy farms, delivered straight to their front doors. But today, most of the milk brands youll find in the grocery store come from larger dairy farms and co-operatives, and feature the brand names of major grocery stores like Walmart, Kroger, or Trader Joes. However, plenty of smaller dairy farms continue to operate across the country, selling their own branded milk and other dairy products in grocery stores or even from their own outlets. One such regional brand is Oberweis Dairy.
The origins of Oberweis Dairy trace back to 1915, when Aurora, Illinois dairy farmer Peter Oberweis started selling extra milk to his neighbors (via Oberweis Dairy). Since then, it has grown to become a major regional supplier of not just milk, but a variety of other dairy products, including its own brand of ice cream.
Simplicity is at the heart of every bottle of Oberweis milk because less processing leaves more room for flavor and nutrition. That means no artificial hormones are permitted onthe small family farms we partner with and no added preservatives or antibiotics are found in our milk.
You can get your milk delivered directly to your front door
Oberweis Dairys first customers received their milk delivered straight to their homes. And for decades before the launch of home grocery delivery services, the company has continued that tradition. Oberweis Dairy offers home delivery of not just their milk, but a variety of other farm fresh products like grass-fed beef, chicken, snacks, cheese, ice cream, and even raw pet food and seafood (via Oberweis Dairy). However, their delivery service is limited to a few select service areas in Central Indiana; South-Central Wisconsin; metropolitan Detroit, Michigan; St. Louis, Missouri; Northern and Central Illinois; Raleigh, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas; and Norfolk, Virginia.
Home milk delivery dropped to an all-time low in the early 2010s, when just 0.4% of milk was home delivered (via NPR). But during the COVID-19 pandemic, many consumers started turning to home delivery for their groceries, and the milkman tradition began to see a resurgence.
Milk was first delivered by horse-drawn wagon
If you open your fridge and find that you dont have any milk left for breakfast today, you can likely order some from your local grocery store on your favorite grocery delivery app. Or, you can hop in your car to get some. But when Peter Oberweis first started delivering milk to his Indiana neighbors, he did so in a horse-drawn wagon.
While those neighbors likely had access to stores at that time, what they didnt have was a means of keeping milk cold. Home refrigerators werent invented until 1927, and werent a common household item until the 1940s (via Big Chill). This meant that families who wanted to enjoy milk had to purchase and consume it fresh, unless they had access to an ice box. While convenient for keeping food fresh longer, these did have to be stocked with fresh ice frequently to keep them cool (via American History).
Oberweis Dairy – Why They’re Successful
FAQ
Why is Oberweis so expensive?
Where does Oberweis get their milk from?
Is Oberweis milk raw?
Is Oberweis only in Illinois?
Does Oberweis milk come in glass bottles?
The company’s milk has always been — and continues to be — sold in glass bottles. Oberweis Dairy claims that their glass bottles insulate their milk better than cardboard or plastic (via Oberweis Dairy ). This means that the milk inside stays colder and tastes fresher, and lasts longer than the milk you’ll find in standard plastic jugs.
Is it healthy to drink cow milk?
Drinking cow’s milk can be part of a healthy diet. It is a nutrient dense beverage and a good source of calcium, iodine, protein, and it is typically fortified with the additional vitamins A and D. Cow’s milk is naturally high in calcium, which is important for maintaining a healthy blood pressure and healthy bones and teeth. The current dietary guidelines for dairy in the United States are based on the idea that we need milk to meet calcium requirements, however, there are many other foods that contain calcium; almonds, collard greens, canned sardines with bones, tofu set in calcium, soybeans, broccoli, and white beans for example. Many people do not drink milk from mammals because they are lactose intolerant and experience digestive discomfort like diarrhea, gas, and bloating. Soymilk is an example of a non-dairy substitute that contains similar amounts of calcium, protein, and some soymilks are fortified with vitamins A and D.
Does Oberweis ice cream have dairy?
With the launch of the Oberweis Ice Cream & Dairy Store, the brand began offering a variety of other dairy and even non-dairy products. Chocolate milk quickly joined the dairy’s lineup, as have other milk varieties, including Lactose Free, Traditional 2% Reduced Fat Milk, Fat Free Milk, and more (via Oberweis Dairy ).
Is Oberweis milk spoiled or expired?
Sometime around 2015, Jim Oberweis, the father of the current CEO of Oberweis Dairy, grabbed a bottle of the family’s milk from a grocery store and noted that while it wasn’t spoiled or expired, it didn’t taste quite right.