Focus On
Craftsmanship paired with technology as
Bongards’ celebrates centennial
By Anne Todd
USDA Rural Development
ongards’ Creameries, a
farmer-owned
creamery co-op, was
launched in 1908 in the
town of Bongards,
Minn., when 72 area dairymen banded
together to market their milk. Their
goals were straightforward: to produce
fresh, wholesome and great-tasting
dairy products at a price that could
sustain their livelihood.
Each member invested $25 a share in
the co-op. They transported milk to
Bongards’ in cans and trucks. Onsite,
they sold milk and cream and made
butter.
In 1942, Bongards’ Creameries
expanded to include cheese-making
facilities, and entered into the cheesemaking
business. The co-op made
natural cheese for 30 years, and
subsequently expanded production
again to include processed cheese.
Traditional crafts still practiced
Today, Bongards’ still makes one of
the country’s most distinctive cheeses
using the same traditional craftsmanship
that the original members brought to
Bongards’ starting in the 1900s. Those
skills, now paired with 21st century
technology, produce quality cheese with
a distinctive taste.
In the last 10 years alone, the co-op
has received almost a dozen awards for
its cheddar cheese, including Champion
Cheddar awards in 2004 and 2007, and
international recognition in 2005 at the
British Empire Cheese Show.
Bongards’ Creameries currently
manufactures dozens of dairy products,
from butter and whey powder to cheese
curds. Bongards’ has 490 members, and
about 300 to 400 more if dairy
producers who supply the co-op’s
“feeder” plants are factored in.
In 2003, the co-op purchased a
building from Land O’Lakes and
moved its natural cheese production to
Perham, Minn. This was a more costeffective
option than upgrading the
facility in Bongards.
The Perham plant makes all of the
natural cheese and has total control
over its quality and consistency, day in
and day out. High-quality whey powder
is also produced at the Perham location.
In an average year, Perham produces
millions of pounds of both natural
cheese and whey powder.
The Bongards site includes the
plant for processed cheeses, a
warehouse and a recently expanded and
upgraded retail outlet.
Private label focus
The majority of
Bongards’ products are
sold to private labels.
However, Bongards’ name
brand products are sold
online on its website, at the
retail store at Bongards’
main facility and at local
stores in the Upper
Midwest.
Selling to private labels
has allowed Bongards’
members’ to focus on their product
rather than on their competitors in the
dairy industry. “We’re large enough to
serve our customers, yet small enough
to be responsive to their needs,” says
Bongards’ Creameries General
Manager Keith Grove.
Being able to use so much of the
milk trucked into Bongards’ facilities is
a big key to the co-op’s success.
Bongards’ adds value to that milk
throughout the processing cycle, and
isn’t dependant on outside
commodities.
In the future, Bongards’ hopes to
build on its success in the
dairy industry while
making the Bongards’ site
a destination for travelers.
The co-op is now selling
sandwiches and ice cream
at its retail store, in
addition to their cheese
and milk products. It is
also adding a picnic area,
and even moving the giant
Bongards’ cow across the
street to encourage
travelers to visit.
“We want to make it a
country stop,” says Grove.
For more information about
Bongards’ Creameries, visit:
www.bongards.com,
Or contact General Manager Keith
Grove: keithg@bongards.com, (952)
466-3514.
