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In 1932, marketing conditions and prices were a cause of much consternation among dairy farmers in the Gallatin Valley of southwestern Montana. Earlier attempts to establish a cooperative had failed, but in February of that year, letters of incorporation were filed for Gallatin Valley Creamery Cooperative.
The co-op bought used equipment and in June of 1933 began processing cream into butter in the old Milwaukee passenger depot in Bozeman. In the following few years, the cooperative managed to grow slowly and show a small profit, and farmers were encouraged by better prices for their cream.
The creamery eventually outgrew the depot building. In September of 1942, the newly-renamed Gallatin Co-Operative Creamery found new accommodations, and in 1947 started to bottle milk at a second location. Sales of milk increased rapidly; in early 1948 milk sales were double those of butter.
During the prosperous 50’s new fluid milk markets were explored and tested, and distribution expanded to other Montana cities. In December of 1953, the co-op began packaging milk in DARIGOLD® half-gallon paper cartons, and by mid-1954 was operating two plants seven days a week, most days around the clock. The need for new facilities was clear: land was purchased on North Seventh Avenue and plans were made for the new plant. When it was completed in 1957 it was the largest plant in Montana. The co-op adopted the business name DARIGOLD1.
During the next three decades, Darigold expanded its distribution in western and central Montana and into Wyoming. Processing facilities in Bozeman were expanded and updated several times. During the 1980’s, consolidation of warehouses and routes streamlined operations, and distribution through grocery supply centers increased the efficiency of the business. A new label, COUNTRY CLASSIC™, was added to the product list. The co-op was renamed twice to reflect changes in marketing realities and farmer membership, first to Gallatin Dairies, Inc., then to Country Classic Dairies, Inc. The business name remained Darigold, though in 2002 the official name became Darigold Farms of Montana.
The nineties brought more expansion and renewed efforts to control costs through modernization. Brand-name emphasis was weakened by the introduction of private label milk in grocery chains.
The early years of the new century turned out to be challenging ones, requiring even more efficiencies and the development of new markets outside of Montana.
In 2007, the co-op decided to more aggressively promote the COUNTRY CLASSIC brand of hormone-free Montana-processed milk. Country Classic Dairies, Inc. wants COUNTRY CLASSIC to be the brand of choice for its Montana customers!
The one lesson that has been learned during the 70-plus years of the co-operative’s history is that change is constant. But over the years the co-op has also learned that flexibility is its greatest strength, and that the continued effort to understand and meet the needs of the ever-changing market is the key to prosperity now and in the future.
1DARIGOLD is the registered trademark of Westfarm Foods of Seattle, but the Montana co-op was allowed to use it through a marketing agreement with the Seattle company.
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