- 1910
- John Sabatte opens the South Berkeley Creamery
- selling milk from local farmers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties
- ""farms in Berkeley?" (Don Sherwood)"
- Mudchute cow 1.ogg
- sound clip, Recording of a cow "moo" at Mudchute City Farm, London. Breed - Irish Moiled.
- Recorded using a cheap microphone and a mini disk recorder and processed for tux paint.
1895 at the age of 17 French John Sabatte immigrated to the United States employment in an Oakland, California, restaurant, becoming the maitre d’ 1908 Sabatte and a business partner purchased a milk distribution route in South Berkeley named their business the South Berkeley Creamery 1910 Sabatte started his own business named South Berkeley Creamery expanded to serve new distribution routes, requiring Sabette to relocate the Creamery to Oakland, near South Berkeley. Sabatte operated the business with the help of his wife, Mary Sarraute Sabette, who was also a French immigrant. company’s ten employees lived on-site 1910s and 1920s, Compulsory pasteurization required milk processors to install appropriate equipment use of Ford Model T’s to deliver milk milk storage in bottles complete line of dairy products, whipping cream, sour cream, ice cream, and buttermilk, then under the brand Lady Berkeley. 1932, the company employed twenty men and served 11 delivery routes. The Great Depression State of California set a minimum resale price on milk at $0.12 per quart for home delivery and $0.09 per quart at retail stores South Berkeley Creamery grew to serve 28 routes with 40 employees in 1940. Home delivery of milk was at its peak during the 1930s, 1940s, and into the 1950s. 1947 relocated to a larger milk processing facility in Emeryville, which was near Berkeley. The new, $500,000 plant processed 10,000 gallons of milk per day initially Sabatte’s five sons . George P. became transportation manager; Albert M., sales manager; Frank E., general manager; John A., ice cream and milk plant operations manager; and Remond C., office and restaurant manager. 1953, the Sabatte sons took full control of the company, and four years later John Sabatte died. In 1955, the company operated branch distribution centers in Hayward, San Mateo, and Walnut Creek 240 delivery routes and 305 employees. Berkeley Farms fountain restaurants opened throughout the company’s milk delivery territory, including Alameda, Walnut Creek, Navoto, and Tracy. 1956. The South Berkeley Creamery is renamed Berkeley Farms 1965 hired James Plessas, Inc. to develop advertising “Farms in Berkeley?,” a cow responded, “Mooooo.” Berkeley Farms had the advertisement painted on its delivery trucks and used it in radio and print advertisements 1970 radio advertisements featured the voice of Mel Blanc, a native of San Francisco and famous for providing the cartoon voices 1967, phased-out its home delivery service. founder’s grandchildren were involved Donald Sabatte managed operations in Hayward and San Mateo and expanded business into Santa Clara and Monterey counties, eventually becoming executive vice-president as he became responsible for labor and operations. Norman Sabatte sought new business in Contra Costa County and Gary Sabatte in the highly competitive San Francisco market. acquisition Tomales Bay Creamery in 1968 Christopher Dairy in 1970 Later acquisitions Edelweiss Dairy, Arden Farms, and Adohr Farms. 1975, Berkeley Farms began operations of a dairy cattle ranch in Firebaugh in San Joaquin Valley, managed and partly owned by Sabatte granddaughter Michelle. The company owned a closed herd of Holsteins, employing dairy experts and nutritionists to care for the animals. Berkeley Farms grew its own feed on 1,500 acres to ensure its nutritional value for the herd. Also, the company practiced integrated pest management to minimize use of pesticides on cattle feed crops. 1986, Berkeley Farms 58 of the top 100 private companies in the San Francisco Bay area $98 million in revenues the previous year. $115 million in 1989, when the company had 450 employees. 1990 Roger and Randy Sabatte formed a separate ice cream division Lady Berkeley premium ice cream, but without success 1991 the company purchased most of the assets of Bud’s Ice Cream, founded in San Francisco in 1932. 1990 Wisconsin investors purchased Bud’s Ice Cream, then in bankruptcy. 1998 Dean Foods acquires Berkeley Farms. “Berkeley Farms,” Dairy Foods, September 1998, p. 72. “Bud’s China First to Jointly Produce Ice Cream in China,” San Francisco Business Times, November 16, 1990, p. 13. Carlsen, Clifford, “The Scoop on Bud’s Ice Cream: National Expansion Under Way,” San Francisco Business Times, July 2, 1993, p. 1. Carroll, Jon, “What Did I Know? When Did I Know It?” San Francisco Chronicle, November 17, 1989, p. E 18. “Cool Cooler,” Dairy Foods, March 2000, p. 45. “Dean Foods Building Position as National, ‘On-the-Go’ Dairy,” Feedstuffs, September 27, 1997, p. 6. “James Plessas, Inc.” Ice Cream Reporter, April 20, 2000, p. 8. Marzec, Michael and others, “Top 100 Private Companies,” San Francisco Business Times, November 9, 1987, p. 17. Nelson, Eric, “Wisconsin Buyers See Cool Promise in Bankrupt Bud’s,” San Francisco Business Times, April 23, 1990, p. 5. Pender, Kathleen, “Berkeley Farms to Acquire Bud’s,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 15, 1991, p. B1. Reiter, Jeff, “Juices and Drinks with a Twist,” Dairy Foods, February 1995, p. 52. Saekel, Karolo, “Faux Whipped Cream Challenges the Real Thing,” San Francisco Chronicle, January 17, 1990. Schroeder, Kathryn, “Johnson, Allies Win,” ADWEEK Southwest, July 24, 2000, p. 10. Simonds, Shelly, “Farmers Cowed Over Hormone Use,” San Francisco Business Times, October 7, 1994, p. 3. Tanaka, Wendy, “Berkeley Farms’ New Start Bay Area Dairy Sold to Out-of-State Competitor,” San Francisco Examiner, September 16, 1998, p. B1.
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