Maytag Dairy Farms, based in
Newton, Iowa
Newton is the county seat of, and most populous city in, Jasper County, Iowa, United States. Located east of Des Moines, Newton is in Central Iowa. As of the 2020 Census, the city population was 15,760. It is the home of Iowa Speedway, Maytag Da ...
USA ,is a manufacturer of
blue cheese and other food products.
History
Maytag Dairy Farms was established in 1941 by
Frederick Louis Maytag II Frederick Louis Maytag II (January 8, 1911 – November 4, 1962) was President and, later, Chairman of the Maytag
The Maytag Corporation is an American home and commercial appliance company owned by Whirlpool Corporation since April 20 ...
. The history of the business dates back to 1919, when
Frederick Louis Maytag II Frederick Louis Maytag II (January 8, 1911 – November 4, 1962) was President and, later, Chairman of the Maytag
The Maytag Corporation is an American home and commercial appliance company owned by Whirlpool Corporation since April 20 ...
's father,
Elmer Henry Maytag Elmer Henry Maytag (September 18, 1883 – 20 July 1940) was the Maytag Corporation president starting in 1926. He also founded the Maytag Dairy Farms.
Biography
He was born on September 18, 1883, to Frederick Louis Maytag I and had as a brot ...
, purchased a single cow to provide milk for his family. He soon began to develop a small herd of
Holstein-Friesian
Holstein Friesians (often shortened to Holsteins in North America, while the term Friesians is often used in the UK and Ireland) are a breed of dairy cattle that originated in the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and Schleswig-Hols ...
cows that would supply milk to his community, winning a vast number of blue ribbons at livestock shows across the United States. The offspring from his herd began to attract buyers from around the world.
Upon Elmer Henry Maytag ’s death in 1940, his sons Fred and Robert Maytag assumed leadership of the farms. It was Fred Maytag-President & CEO of the Maytag Appliance Company who pursued his idea of creating a uniquely American blue cheese made from cow's milk. Fred collaborated with Iowa State University dairy researchers to pioneer the first great American blue cheese that would compete with classic European cheeses such as
Roquefort
Roquefort is a sheep milk cheese from Southern France, and is one of the world's best known blue cheeses. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur ...
made from sheep's milk. The cheese plant and caves were completed a year later and the first wheels of Maytag Blue Cheese were formed in October 1941. The milk from Maytag's Iowa Holsteins resulted in a rich, creamy cheese that resembled the flavors of European bleu cheeses. Ever a visionary, Fred sold his cheese in a unique new way—by catalog—essentially creating the practice of mail-ordering food that thrives today.
Fred's son
Fritz Maytag
Frederick Louis "Fritz" Maytag III (born December 9, 1937 in Newton, Iowa) is the former owner of Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco and is Chairman of the Board of the Maytag Dairy Farms (maker of Maytag Blue cheese). He is also the owner ...
assumed leadership in 1962 and led the small company for the next 50 years. Fritz now serves as chairman
Emeritus and a director, along with his brother Ken Maytag and sister Martha Maytag.
Present day
The cheese is made by hand in the small cheese plant that was constructed 80 years ago in the shadow of E.H.’s milking barn. The prize-winning herd is gone, but the barn remains and the company uses fresh milk from neighbor dairy farmers. The hand-formed wheels are aged for approximately six months.
Maytag Dairy Farms was family owned until 2019 when it was acquired by
Midwest Growth Partners, a private equity fund manager. In July 2022, AgCertain Industries purchased Maytag Dairy farms from Midwest Growth Partners.
See also
*
List of dairy product companies in the United States
This is a list of dairy product companies in the United States. A dairy product is food produced from the milk of mammals. Dairy products are usually high energy-yielding food products. A production plant for the processing of milk is called a dair ...
References
External links
Maytag Dairy Farms''Little Big Cheese: Maytag's Growing Niche Market''
story on NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
(January 4, 2005)
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Companies based in Iowa
Jasper County, Iowa
Dairy products companies of the United States
Maytag family
Food and drink companies based in Iowa