History
Turkey Hill Dairy began in 1931 during the Great Depression, when farmer Armor Frey began selling bottled milk to neighbors from his sedan.[5] Frey's family obtained the farm directly from Thomas and Richard Penn, sons of William Penn, and the sheepskin deed to the farm refers to "turkeyhill".[5] Turkey Hill Ridge had been given its name by the Conestoga Indians for the wild turkeys found there, so the family decided to name their dairy after the name on the deed and the nearby geographical feature.[6][7]
Armor sold the dairy to sons Glen, Emerson and Charles Frey in 1947. Milking the cows and delivering milk to customers provided these three families with a satisfactory income.[5]
In 1954,[8] the dairy began making ice cream, which sold well in Lancaster County, and in 1981, they started selling the ice cream through a few independent stores in Philadelphia.[5] Turkey Hill quickly began to expand into New Jersey and up the East Coast. In the early 2000s Turkey Hill's products were distributed in places further west, such as Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. Over the next few years, Turkey Hill rapidly expanded its distribution area, and its teas are now sold in 45 states and the ice cream is now sold in 43 states.
Ownership and leadership
The dairy and the stores were sold in 1985 to Dillons, a subsidiary of Kroger.[9] Despite the new ownership, the Frey family was heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the company, as Charles Frey, the youngest of company founder Armor Frey's sons, remained as president. Charles was succeeded as president by Quintin Frey (son of Emerson Frey) in 1991. On May 28, 2013, the Kroger Company announced Quintin Frey's retirement.[10]
Wind turbines
In 2011 Turkey Hill partnered with PPL Renewable Energy and the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority to purchase the electricity generated by two General Electric wind turbines on the Frey Farm landfill adjacent to the company's manufacturing facility. The wind turbines are capable of producing enough power to supply 25 percent of the company's annual electricity demand.
Ownership and leadership
The dairy and the stores were sold in 1985 to Dillons, a subsidiary of Kroger.[9] Despite the new ownership, the Frey family was heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the company, as Charles Frey, the youngest of company founder Armor Frey's sons, remained as president. Charles was succeeded as president by Quintin Frey (son of Emerson Frey) in 1991. On May 28, 2013, the Kroger Company announced Quintin Frey's retirement.[10]
Wind turbines
In 2011 Turkey Hill partnered with PPL Renewable Energy and the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority to purchase the electricity generated by two General Electric wind turbines on the Frey Farm landfill adjacent to the company's manufacturing facility. The wind turbines are capable of producing enough power to supply 25 percent of the company's annual electricity demand.[11]
Products
In 2012 Turkey Hill Dairy produced 29 e6usgal of frozen dairy dessert, 56.6 e6usgal of iced tea and other drinks and 7.1 e6usgal of milk. Since 2000, Turkey Hill has been among the nation's top-selling brands of refrigerated iced tea and, in 2011, was the fourth-largest producer of ice cream,[5] after Nestlé (Dreyer's/Edy Grand, Häagen-Dazs, Mövenpick), Unilever (Breyers Ice Cream and Ben & Jerry's), and Wells' Dairy (Blue Bunny).[6]
Ice cream
Turkey Hill produces 63 full-time and Limited Edition flavors of ice cream, frozen dairy dessert, and sherbet available in 46 usfloz, 1 uspt sizes and 3 usgal sizes for use by ice cream shops.
Ice cream
Turkey Hill produces 63 full-time and Limited Edition flavors of ice cream, frozen dairy dessert, and sherbet available in 46 usfloz, 1 uspt sizes and 3 usgal sizes for use by ice cream shops.[12] Specific product lines include Premium Ice Cream, All Natural Ice Cream, and No Sugar Added, frozen dairy dessert (a vegetable-oil based product similar to ice cream) and sherbet.[12]
Iced tea
The Turkey Hill Iced Tea lineup includes more than 20 seasonal and full-time flavors.[13] Traditional flavors are made with a manufacturing process that includes cold bottling, cold shipping and cold storage in stores.
Other beverages
Other Turkey Hill beverages include fruit drinks, including lemonade, fruit punch, and others, milk (fat free, 1% lowfat, 2% reduced fat, whole milk, and 1% low fat chocolate milk), and egg nog distributed during the Christmas season.[13]
Turkey Hill Dairy has partnerships with the Snyder's of Hanover, Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, and Tootsie Roll Industries' Junior Mints, allowing the company to produce and distribute theme-flavored ice cream based on the products of these companies.
Turkey Hill no longer maintains partnerships with several professional sports teams, including the Lancaster Stormers,[14] Camden Riversharks,[15] and the York Revolution,[16] all of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
Additional sports partnerships have included Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union
