Wells Dairy

Infobox Company
name = Wells Dairy, Inc.
type = Privately Held
foundation = 1913
founder = Fred H. Wells
location_city = Le Mars, Iowa
location_country = United States of America
key_people = Mike Wells,CEO
Tom Posey, Senior VP, Organizational Capability
David Lyons, Senior VP of Operations and Supply Chain
Jim Reynolds, Senior VP, Sales, Marketing, R&D
Mark Garth, Senior VP and Chief Financial Officer

homepage = [http://www.bluebunny.com bluebunny.com] [http://www.wellsdairy.com wellsdairy.com]

Wells' Dairy, Inc is the largest family-owned and managed dairy processor in the United States, based in Le Mars, Iowa. It is the maker of Blue Bunny ice cream.

Well's Dairy is the third largest ice cream maker in the United States with 5 percent market share distantly behind Nestlé (Häagen-Dazs, Dreyer's, Mövenpick) and Unilever (Ben & Jerry's and Breyers Ice Cream) [ [http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/aug2007/gb20070824_230078.htm Ice Cream Wars: Nestlé vs. Unilever - Business Week - August 24, 2007] ] Well's Dairy produces the Blue Bunny brand, along with Wal-Mart's "Great Value" Brand, and Weight Watchers Ice Cream. In 2007 and 2008 Wells Dairy sold its liquid milk and yogurt facilities to Dean Foods. "This committed focus puts us in the best position to reach our goal to become a top 3 national brand in ice cream and frozen novelties and to ensure the long-term viability of the company." said CEO Mike Wells. [ [http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/12/20/news/latest_news/06119affd100906e862573b8000537e2.txt Wells' Dairy selling milk plant, will focus on ice cream Siouxcityjournal.com - December 2007] ]

Wells also produces ice brands marketed by Häagen-Dazs, Baskin-Robbins, General Mills and General Foods [ [http://www.foodprocessing-technology.com/projects/wells/ Wells Dairy Ice Cream Production Facility, St George, Utah, USA] ] Wells Dairy was to throw Häagen-Dazs into a crisis in 1999 when the South Plant, which was the primary producer for Häagen-Dazs, had an explosion at the beginning of the summer ice cream season. [ [http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Wells-Dairy-Inc-Company-History.html International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 36. St. James Press, 2001 (via fundinguniverse.com)] ] Häagen-Dazs has subsequently added other dairies as its producers.

History

Fred H. Wells opened a milk route in 1913 in Le Mars after purchasing for $250 a horse, delivery wagon, a few cans and jars, from local dairy farmer Ray Bowers.

Around 1925, Wells and his sons began manufacturing ice cream and selling it in neighboring Remsen, Iowa, Alton, Iowa and Sioux City, Iowa. In 1928 Fairmont Ice Cream purchased the ice cream distribution system in Sioux City along with the right to use the Wells’ name.

In 1935, the Wells family decided to sell ice cream in Sioux City again. Unable to sell their product under their own name Wells, they decided to hold a “Name That Ice Cream” contest in the Sioux City Journal. A Sioux City man won the $25 cash prize for the winning entry of “Blue Bunny” after noticing how much his son enjoyed the blue bunnies in a department store window at Easter.

After Fred H. Wells, Jr. died in 1954, his sons, Harold, Mike, Roy and Fay, and their cousin Fred D. Wells, son of Harry Cole Wells, ran the family business as a partnership. Meanwhile, new facilities were added in the postwar period. For example, the main part of what the company would call the North Plant was built in Le Mars in the 1950s for the manufacture of ice cream products. In 1963 the company constructed its Milk Plant. The family retained ownership and management of the business after it was incorporated under Iowa law in 1977 as Wells' Dairy, Inc.

The newly incorporated business expanded in the 1980s, a decade marked by phenomenal growth of the American economy and the addition of millions of new jobs. New corporate offices were added in 1980, and Wells' Dairy built new facilities for its growing fleet of trucks used to deliver milk around Iowa. In 1983, Wells' purchased an Omaha plant and after being remodelled, it processed milk, yogurt and fruit juice.

In the mid-1980s the firm's North Plant in Le Mars was enlarged through the purchase of five adjacent lots. New production lines, a mix department, and a high-rise freezer helped the company double the North Plant's capability. After completion, the expanded plant covered the equivalent of one city block, with the first floor taking up 109,000 square feet and its second floor comprising of 44,000 square feet. Meanwhile, under the supervision of Doug Wells, a grandson of Fred H. Wells,Jr., a new quality control department was organzied to monitor the firm's plants in both Le Mars and Omaha. The company in the late 1980s also added a Central Receiving Warehouse and a Technical Center.

The ice cream remained largely a regional brand until 1992 when it began an aggressive program to expand nationally. The centerpiece of the expansion is a 900,000 square foot plant, which in addition to manufacturing includes a 12-story tall freezer. The plant is referred to as the “South Ice Cream Plant” because of its physical location on the south side of Le Mars. The plant employs 1,000 and produces 75 million gallons of frozen treats with the milk coming mainly from three large dairy farms in Iowa. [ [http://www.allbusiness.com/agriculture-forestry/animal-production-cattle/329152-1.html The big chill: Wells' Dairy's South Ice Cream Plant dominates the world of frozen dessert production - Allbusiness.com - January 1, 2005] ]

Wells’ Dairy, Inc. operates a second ice cream plant in Le Mars. This has led to claims of Wells’ Dairy being the “largest family-owned and managed dairy processor in the United States” and the “world’s largest manufacturer of ice cream in one location” (which in turn has prompted Le Mars to claim the title of “Ice Cream Capital of the World”). In 2003, an ice cream plant in St. George, Utah was opened to better meet the west coast market.

In November of 2007, Mike Wells replaced his second cousin, Gary Wells as CEO. Gary Wells, his brother, Doug Wells, co-president; Mike Wells' brother, Greg Wells, senior vice president of operations, stepped down from their positions and will no longer be involved with day-to-day operations however Gary, Doug and Greg Wells will continue to serve on the board of directors.

Products

Wells’ Dairy, Inc. produces a multitude of Blue Bunny-branded ice cream flavors and frozen novelty products. The signature Blue Bunny ice cream flavor Bunny Tracks combines chocolate-covered peanuts, peanut butter-filled chocolate bunnies, and ribbons of peanut butter, caramel and fudge in vanilla ice cream. In addition to many other innovative ice cream flavors, Blue Bunny offers seven different varieties of vanilla.

“Just-For-You” packaging was debuted by Blue Bunny with its innovative Personals line offering an eight-ounce package of ice cream in a variety of indulgent and light flavors. In addition, the Italian gelateria experience is available in your freezer with Blue Bunny’s Gelato line of frozen desserts.

Blue Bunny manufactures various novelties, including The Champ! cones (now known as Big Bopper cones) and FrozFruit bars. Another Blue Bunny novelty, the Bomb Pop is even celebrated with its own special day, National Bomb Pop Day. The day is held annually on the last Thursday in June.

Blue Bunny is also a leader in Better-For-You novelties providing low calorie, low carb, fat free or light lines including Sweet Freedom, which has no sugar added, and HealthSmart, which has no fat and no sugar added.

References

External links

* [http://www.bluebunny.com Official website]
* [http://www.wellsdairy.com Corporate website]