Got Fresh Milk?
7-Eleven® Contracts with Local Family-Owned Dairy for its Northwest Stores
7-Eleven, Inc. has contracted with Edaleen Dairy, one of the few remaining family-owned dairies in the Evergreen State to supply fresh dairy products to its stores in the Washington and Oregon. This week, the working Holstein dairy farm began shipping fresh milk and other dairy items from its Lynden, Wash., facility to close to 300 7-Eleven® stores in the Northwest.
“Edaleen Farms is a well-respected dairy that still produces their own milk from cow to bottle,” said David Huey, 7-Eleven vice president for the North Pacific division. “Its reputation for producing top-quality products with no added hormones combined with our daily delivery system gives 7-Eleven an advantage other convenience retailers can’t claim.”
Located just south of the Canadian border, the Edaleen Dairy was started as a small family business in 1975 by Ed and Aileen Brandsma with just 80 cows, milked by Ed himself. The land the dairy occupies has been in Aileen’s family since the 1930s, and the dairy name is a combination of the two founders.
Today Edaleen boasts a herd of more than 6,000 cows, with less than 3,000 of those milked daily. All cows are raised from calves and added to the herd once they mature, and no cows are purchased from the outside. Edaleen cows produce milk without the need of any added-growth hormones, like rBST.
“Our employees take a lot of pride in their jobs -- from milking to herd health to bottling, and everyone is like family,” said Michelle Kitchen, CEO of Edaleen. “Through 7-Eleven stores, we’re providing milk to more of our neighbors and communities in Washington and Oregon. Customers who buy our milk at 7-Eleven can be assured it’s from local cows, fresh and bottled within 24 hours from delivery to the stores.”
Huey added, “7-Eleven wants to offer regional brands and products to its customers. We are committed to providing popular, local items for convenience-oriented consumers. Adding Edaleen as one of our suppliers underscores our commitment to satisfying local preferences and tastes.”
Since its inception, Edaleen has supervised all phases of the production process from tending its own cows to processing and bottling the milk at its own dairy plant. Edaleen also distributes Yami brand yogurt and Darigold brand cottage cheese and sour cream to the same 7-Eleven stores in the northwest.
With daily delivery of fresh and perishable foods, 7-Eleven ensures its customers get some of the longest freshness dates, compared to other food retailers that receive shipments only one to three times each week.
About 7-Eleven, Inc.
7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience retailing industry and this year observes its 81st anniversary. Based in Dallas, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses approximately 7,500 7-Eleven® stores in North America. Globally, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses close to 34,000 stores in 17 countries. During 2007, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales of more than $46.6 billion. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com.