Turkey Hill

Infobox Company
name = Turkey Hill

type = Convenience Store
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foundation = Great Depression
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location_city = Pennsylvania
location_country = USA
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parent = Kroger
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Turkey Hill Minit Markets is a chain of Pennsylvania convenience store/gas stations. A sister company, Turkey Hill Dairy is a dairy processor in Conestoga, Pennsylvania, selling their fresh milk products in Pennsylvania, and their ice cream and drinks from Vermont [http://www.turkeyhill.com/general/about-faq.asp About the Dairy] ] to Florida [ [http://www.turkeyhill.com/new-stuff/florida.asp Pennsylvania Dutch Country has a home in Florida] ] and as far west as Indiana. [ [http://www.turkeyhill.com/giantcowsarecool/pit-cle/blog.asp?posting=47 Giant cow visits Toledo] ] They have always been separate companies, but with the same ownership.

In 2003, Turkey Hill Dairy produced 26 million gallons of ice cream, 24 million gallons of iced tea and 13 million gallons of milk, and since 2000, Turkey Hill has been the nation's top-selling brand of refrigerated iced tea. [http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-08082004-344720.html Turkey Hill Dairy supplies ice cream to much of the East Coast] ]

Turkey Hill Dairy has partnerships with the Tasty Baking Company of Philadelphia, Snyder's of Hanover, St. John's University, Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, and Tootsie Roll Industries' Junior Mints allowing them to produce and distribute theme-flavored ice cream based on the products of these companies.

Turkey Hill Dairy

Turkey Hill Dairy began during the Great Depression, when farmer Armor Frey began selling bottled milk to neighbors from his sedan. [http://www.turkeyhill.com/general/history.asp Dairy history] ] Frey's family obtained the farm directly from Thomas and Richard Penn, sons of William Penn, and the sheepskin deed to the farm refers to "turkeyhill". Turkey Hill Ridge had been given its name by the Conestoga Indians for the wild turkeys found there, so the family decided to name their dairy after the name on the deed and the nearby geographical feature.

After his milk route grew too large, Armor sold the dairy to sons Glen, Emerson and Charles Frey in 1947. Milking the cows and delivering milk to customers within a few miles provided these three families with a satisfactory income.

In 1980, the dairy began making ice cream, which sold well in Lancaster County, and in 1981, they started selling the ice cream through a few independent stores in Philadelphia.

Both the dairy and the stores were sold in 1985 to Dillons, a subsidiary of Kroger.The family wasn't completely out of the business as Quintin Frey, Armor's grandson, is president of the dairy.

The Frey family farm continues to milk 1,100 cows twice a day. Their farm adjoins the dairy; milk used to literally be pumped to the plant. A cooperative of farmers within a 25-mile radius, including the Freys, sell 120 truckloads of liquid milk to the Turkey Hill Dairy each week.

Turkey Hill Dairy produces dozens of flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt, low-carbohydrate ice cream, light ice cream, super premium "Philadelphia Style" ice cream, pint-sized "Creamy Commotions" ice creams featuring inclusions and marketed to a younger demographic, as well as monthly limited edition flavors also typically featuring inclusions and tie-ins with other food companies. In 2007, the dairy introduced a new line of soft serve ice cream and gelato called Duetto. In 2008, the dairy introduced a line of "Venice Ice" flavors of Italian ice.

Turkey Hill Minit Markets

In 1967, Charles and Emerson Frey opened the first Turkey Hill Minit Markets store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as a way to better market their dairy products. [https://www.turkeyhillstores.com/company/timeline.asp Minit Market timeline] ]

The stores operated as a separate business [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B03EED8163BF931A1575BC0A963948260 Kroger buys Turkey Hill Dairy and Farmland Industries] ] - Farmland Industries - with the headquarters in the original store basement. In 1978, they built their current headquarters at 257 Centerville Road in East Hempfield Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

On December 19, 1974, the stores won a legal battle overturning the so-called "blue laws" that prohibited retailers opening on Sunday, and in 1976, they became the first company to offer self-service gasoline in Pennsylvania.

In 1979, Turkey Hill Minit Market purchased 36 Louden Hill stores. In July 1985, they purchased a number of 7-Eleven stores and six Ideal Markets. That same year the Turkey Hill Minit Markets chain was purchased by Kroger. In Lancaster County, Turkey Hill Minit Markets were the overwhelming convenience store choice, in some cases, stores were located as close as three blocks apart. In the 1990s, Turkey Hill and competitors Sheetz and Wawa entered each other's home turf, as if a tacit understanding that they wouldn't compete with each other had expired. John Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil commented on the new situation in sworn testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary in March 2006: [ [http://www.nasmonline.com/031406TestimonyofJohnHofmeister.pdf John Hofmeister testimony] ] "We are seeing healthy new retail competition emerging with brands such as Wawa, Sheetz, and Turkey Hill."

In 1998, Turkey Hill opened its 249th store in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. This store was the first of many stores to open with Food Service. Food Service offers fresh hoagies, sandwiches, pizza, and many other hot foods. Many new stores are built with food service and car washes. Beginning in 1999, new larger stores were opened with more of an emphasis on selling gasoline. About 200 of the 240 stores in Central Pennsylvania have gas pumps. [http://www.turkeyhillstores.com/company/company.asp Minit Market Company History] ]

Branding changes

In 2004, the stores adopted the current signage, featuring a stylized 48-state U.S. map. Kroger also owns the Kwik Shop chain in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska; the Loaf 'N Jug Mini Marts in Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming; Quik Stop Markets in California and Nevada; and the Tom Thumb Food Stores in Florida and Alabama - all of which use the same logo and font. The older stores will be getting face lifts with the new logo and store front. [ [http://www.fredmeyer.com/operations_convenience_about.htm About Fred Meyers] ] Kroger hasn't indicated any plans yet to consolidate the marketing for their 800 convenience stores, but a new vice-president, Van Tarver, was named in June 2006 to oversee their convenience store and petroleum division. [ [http://www.thekrogerco.com/corpnews/corpnewsinfo_pressreleases_06062006.htm Kroger Promotes Tarver To Vice President Of Its Convenience Store And Petroleum Division] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.turkeyhill.com Turkey Hill's official site]
* [http://www.turkeyhillstores.com Turkey Hill Minit Market's official site]