Clover Sonoma, formerly Clover Stornetta Farms (and also Clover Organic Farms or simply, Clover) is a
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
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...
, along the Pacific coast in
Northern California
Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...
. It is a brand that has existed since the early 1900s, when the Petaluma Cooperative Creamery served the city of
Petaluma
Petaluma (Miwok: ''Péta Lúuma'') is a city in Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 according to the 2020 census.
Petaluma's name comes from the Miwok village nam ...
. In 1977, Clover Stornetta Farms, Inc. was formed from the joining of two separate companies: Stornetta's Dairy and the Petaluma Cooperative Creamery (which distributed Clover brand dairy products). Clover Sonoma currently has farms in Sonoma County,
Marin County
Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is acros ...
, and
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish language, Spanish for "of Antonio de Mendoza, Mendoza) is a County (United States), county located on the North Coast (California), North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United Sta ...
. In 2021, Clover Sonoma launched Clover the Rainbow, a sister dairy brand that makes a line of kids
organic
Organic may refer to:
* Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity
* Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ
Chemistry
* Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...
yogurt smoothies.
History
The Petaluma Cooperative Creamery began distributing "Clover" brand
dairy product
Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in th ...
s to homes and stores in the city of Petaluma in the early 1900s. Eventually the company started to expand and sold their products throughout Sonoma County and Marin County. The population of both counties grew rapidly and eventually "Clover" brand products were being sold to almost every grocery store in the four counties of the
North Bay. In 1975, the largest fire in Petaluma's history occurred, causing some destruction to the dairy cooperative, destroying the processing and bottling line along with the cooler.
In 1977, the owners of Clover bought the wholesale distribution from the co-op after deciding not to rebuild their own co-op facility. Clover also bought the Stornetta Dairy in the city of
Sonoma. In 1984, the owners of Clover Stornetta decided to move their company and the whole distribution back to the company's original city of Petaluma. In June 1991, Clover Stornetta opened a new milk processing facility at their current location in Petaluma. (The Stornetta Dairy in Sonoma was Clover's only bottling plant at the time.) The equipment in Sonoma had been antiquated and a large amount of the work had to be done manually. With the new
automated
Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...
plant run by computerized controls, Clover became able to triple the output of the former plant with the same amount of manpower.
Clover Sonoma introduced their "Clover Promise of Excellence" program in 1994 (as the North Coast Excellence Certified program) and a full third-party certification was later added in 1999. 'Clover Promise of Excellence' is a set of criteria each of Clover Sonoma's family farms must adhere to in the areas of animal welfare, environmental stewardship, and milk quality.
In 2016, Clover Sonoma became a Certified B Corporation, committing to performance assessment in five categories: governance, workers, customers, community, and the environment.
In 2017, the company changed its name to Clover Sonoma to honor its Sonoma County heritage. Clover Sonoma's conventional product line packaging had remained unchanged since the 1980s and its organic product packaging was untouched since the early 2000s. The Clover Sonoma brand update included a full package redesign across product lines.
In 2020, Clover Sonoma announced its B Corporation recertification and unveiled the first fully renewable plant-based milk carton in the United States as part of its continued focus on sustainability.
In December 2021, 70% of the shares of Clover Sonoma is acquired by
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
n
dairy product
Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in th ...
company
Alpina Productos Alimenticios
Alpina Productos Alimenticios S.A. BIC is a Colombian dairy, food, and beverage company that operates in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and the United States. Its products include beverages, milk, baby food, desserts, cheeses, cream and butter, and ...
.
Clo the Cow
In 1969, Clo the Cow made her debut as the Clover Stornetta mascot when she started appearing on billboards across the Redwood Empire. Well known for her puns, Clo's likeness continues to appear in Clover Sonoma traditional, digital, social media advertising, and on Clover the Rainbow packaging.
Community
As part of Clover Cares community giveback program, the company gives at least five percent of profits every year to charitable organizations that fit within its mission of elevating dairy, empowering future generations, and supporting the community. Programs supported through Clover Cares include pandemic fundraising for Petaluma Valley hospital, a kids cooking challenge, education grants, and agricultural education.
Farms
All 30 Clover Sonoma dairy farms are family-owned. Clover Sonoma was the first dairy in the U.S. to become
American Humane Certified The American Humane Certified program is the nation's first independent, third-party certification program to verify the humane treatment of farm animals. The program was launched in 2000.
The purpose of the American Humane Certified program is to ...
, requiring adherence to rigorous quality standards.
Sustainability
Clover Sonoma's CEO, Marcus Benedetti has led the company's focus on sustainability. Clover Sonoma dairies recycle 100% of their manure production, either using it on the farm as fertilizer or other capacities, or providing it to local organic farms. They perform
rotational grazing
In agriculture, rotational grazing, as opposed to continuous grazing, describes many systems of pasturing, whereby livestock are moved to portions of the pasture, called paddocks, while the other portions rest. Each paddock must provide all the n ...
to protect soils, crop vigor, and biodiversity. They recycle fresh water from milk plate coolers, and divert it to the animal drinking water system. Pastures are seeded annually, adjusting the blend of grasses to maintain diversity and high soil quality.
Clover Sonoma's packaging decisions have evolved with sustainability in mind over the years. They started reducing plastic waste by saying "no" to plastic caps on paper cartons, preventing more than 227,000 pounds of plastic from entering landfills in 2019. With its Organic DHA Omega-3 + Choline Milk line, Clover Sonoma took their commitment a step further by partnering with 1% for the Planet to donate a portion of proceeds of the sale of the product to the non-profit
Plastic Pollution Coalition The Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) is an advocacy group and social movement organization which seeks to reduce plastic pollution. PPC operates under the fiscal sponsorship of the umbrella organization Earth Island Institute.
Positions
PPC ...
. Clover Sonoma was the first dairy in the U.S. to switch to a fully renewable plant-based milk carton.
The company converted more than 10 million cartons in 2020, and have pledged to convert their entire line of milk cartons to fully renewable over the next few years.
References
{{Authority control
Certified B Corporations in the Food & Beverage Industry
Companies based in Sonoma County, California
Dairy products companies in California
Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area
Petaluma, California