Kemps (legal name Kemps LLC) is an American

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

company located in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

. It has been a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...

of Dairy Farmers of America since being purchased in 2011 from

HP Hood LLC HP Hood LLC is an American dairy company based in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. Hood was founded in 1846 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, by Harvey Perley Hood. Recent company acquisitions by HP Hood have expanded its reach from predominantly New En ...

. Dairy Farmers of America is based in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, but Kemps continues to be headquartered in St. Paul. Products provided by the company include milk, cottage cheese, half and half, egg nog, cream, juices, sour cream, chip dips, ice cream, yogurt and novelties.Kemps (Fridge & Freezer)
Retrieved Feb. 9, 2015. Most of these products are sold at grocery stores throughout the midwestern United States, but some are available in other parts of the country as well. Kemps currently operates five manufacturing facilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin.Kemps (About Kemps)
Retrieved Feb. 9, 2015.

History

Kemps was founded in 1914 by William Henry Kemps (October 29, 1878 – October 2, 1964), formerly of St. Louis, Missouri, who partnered with W.S. Lathrop after his Minneapolis candy company was near

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

. The business was first known as Lathrop-Kemps Ice Cream Company, producing "special quality" Kemps Ice Cream. As part of the agreement, Lathrop would have to maintain his sobriety as he had issues with alcoholism. This didn't happen, and Kemps would soon become sole owner of the company.Comcast (William Henry Kemps, compiled by Roger Kemps)
Retrieved Feb. 9, 2015. Kemps suffered from chronic health problems during his life. In 1921, the doctor advised that he may not be able to survive too many more winters in Minnesota. Kemps and his family visited California later that year. They would eventually purchase a home in Beverly Hills and move there in 1924. At the same time, Kemps sold his company to competitor

Crescent Creamery A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

of St. Paul. Brothers Arthur, Howard and W.R. Cammack, who owned Crescent Creamery, would operate both businesses as Kemps-Crescent. In 1961, Kemps-Crescent would merge with Marigold Dairies of

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Acco ...

and

Dolly Madison Dairies Dolly may refer to: Tools *Dolly (tool), a portable anvil * A posser, also known as a dolly, used for laundering * A variety of wheeled tools, including: **Dolly (trailer), for towing behind a vehicle **Boat dolly or launching dolly, a device fo ...

of Eau Claire, Wisconsin to form Marigold Foods, Inc.PostBulletin.com, ''Kemps: 100 Years Ahead of the Curve'' by Jeff Kiger (June 13, 2014)
Retrieved Feb. 9, 2015. The company would merge with

Ward Food Services Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pri ...

of Maplewood, Minnesota in 1968. Ten years later, Dutch company NV Wessanen Koninklijke Fabrieken (now

Royal Wessanen Ecotone (formerly Royal Wessanen) is a multinational food company with a focus on organic, founded in the Netherlands and headquartered in France since November 2020. It has operations in Europe and North America. Worldwide it had approx 2,000 e ...

) bought Marigold Foods from Ward Food Services.US-Yellow (Kemps/Marigold Foods)
Retrieved Feb. 9, 2015.

National Dairy Holdings Borden Dairy Company is an American dairy processor and distributor headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Established in 2009,Crowley Foods of

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 conflue ...

. Marigold Foods would be renamed Kemps LLC in 2002 as most products provided by the company were of the Kemps brand. In 2011, the company would be sold by HP Hood to Dairy Farmers of America.

Acquisitions

Kemps has acquired numerous dairy companies to expand business, including:WCCO Channel 4, ''Kemps Buys Cass-Clay Creamery Operation In Fargo'', Associated Press, March 14, 2012
Retrieved Jun. 25, 2018. *

Clover Leaf Dairy Company Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus h ...

of Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979. * Fairmont Foods Company, Inc. of

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...

in 1980. (dairy division only) * Green's Ice Cream of York, Pennsylvania in 1992. *

Brown's Velvet Dairy Brown's Velvet Dairy, now Brown's Dairy, is a historic business in the Central City section of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. It opened in 1905.Brands on the move - hometown ice cream brands explore new markets Dairy Foods June, 1993 Brown's Velvet ...

of New Orleans, Louisiana in 1993. (sold to

Suiza Foods Dean Foods was an American food and beverage company and the largest dairy company in the United States. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company maintained plants and distributors in the United States. Dean Foods had 66 manufacturing faciliti ...

in 2000, acquired by Dean Foods in 2001) * Cedarburg Dairy, Inc. of Cedarburg, Wisconsin in 1993. *

Hagan Ice Cream Hagan may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places Iran * Hagan, Iran, a village in Hamadan Province Norway * Hagan, a village in Harstad * Hagan, a village in Akershus United States * Hagan, Georgia, a city * Hagan, Minnesota, an unincorporated community * Hag ...

of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1996. *

Becker's Dairy Becker's is a Canadian chain of independent convenience stores selling products of Alimentation Couche-Tard company. The original Becker Milk Company was founded in 1957 in Toronto, Ontario. The chain grew from 5 to 500 stores and was sold in 200 ...

of Chicago, Illinois in 1998. * Gillette Dairy, Inc. of Norfolk, Nebraska and Rapid City, South Dakota in 1999. *

Goodrich Ice Cream Goodrich may refer to: * Goodrich (surname) Places United Kingdom * Goodrich, Herefordshire * Goodrich Castle, a fortification in Goodrich, Herefordshire * Goodrich Court, a former neo-gothic castle in Goodrich, Herefordshire United States * Goo ...

of Omaha, Nebraska in 1999. *

Oak Grove Dairy An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

Norwood, Minnesota Norwood Young America is a city in Carver County, Minnesota, United States, located about 40 miles west of Minneapolis. The population was 3,549 at the 2010 census. History Young America was platted in 1856. Norwood was platted in 1872. Norw ...

in 2000. * Cass-Clay Creamery of

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

in 2012. Cass-Clay Creamery and Goodrich Ice Cream are subsidiaries of Kemps. Green's Ice Cream and Hagan Ice Cream are currently subsidiaries under HP Hood. All other brands were discontinued. Kemps had started a joint venture with

Franklin Foods Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral divi ...

of Duluth, Minnesota and Associated Milk Producers, Inc. in 1982, making products under the

Arrowhead Dairy An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, as well as to fulfill some special purposes such as sign ...

brand. Franklin Foods closed the plant in 2013.Bring Me The News, ''Don’t Got Milk. Dairy Workers Lose Jobs in Duluth'' by Kevyn Burger (September 11, 2013)
Retrieved Feb. 9, 2015.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official websiteCass-Clay Creamery
Dairy farming Manufacturing companies based in Saint Paul, Minnesota History of Minneapolis Food and drink companies established in 1914 1914 establishments in Minnesota Yogurt companies Dairy products companies of the United States American brands