Land O'Lakes Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
This article is about the growers cooperative, for the Florida town, see Land O' Lakes, FloridaLand O'Lakes is a national agricultural cooperative based in Arden Hills, Minnesota focusing on the dairy industry. It is owned by 7,000 producers and 1,300 local cooperatives, who are each members. The company had annual sales over $6 Billion in 2003 and directly employs over 6,000 workers. They are the largest producer of branded butter and deli-cheese.
History
It was founded in 1921 in Saint Paul, Minnesota by representatives from 320 co-op creameries in that state as the Minnesota Cooperative Creameries Association. The organization aimed to improve marketing and quality, and thus raise the price for butter. In 1924, their new sweet cream butter was given the name Land O'Lakes after a contest, and in 1926, the organization took this name.
The company has grown through numerous acquisitions, and now has a large business in farm supply in addition to dairy.