Cows have been a part of American culture since the first one arrived in Jamestown in 1611. For over 200 years after that, it was normal for families to have their own cow to provide them with milk and the dairy products they could make from that milk.
Even after that practice became less common, in 1942, accessible dairy products became the standard again as Americans started getting their milk delivered to their doorsteps as a part of food conservation efforts during WWII.
Even though the industry has ebbed and flowed in the decades since, milk has remained a major part of the American diet. During 2019 alone, the U.S. produced over 218 billion pounds (or 26 billion gallons) of milk, and the average American consumed 653 pounds of dairy products.
All 50 U.S. states have dairy farms, and 95% of those are family-owned businesses, but their milk usually goes through larger companies for processing, packaging, and creating other dairy products such as yogurt and cheese.
We’ve gathered a list of the 15 largest dairy processing companies in the country, based on their sales in 2022.
Kraft Heinz Co.
Chicago, Illinois, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2022 Sales: $26.0 billion
You’ve probably seen the Kraft Heinz logos on a wide variety of foods, but that hasn’t kept them from being the fifth-largest dairy company in the U.S. based on their dairy product sales alone.
Their dairy offerings span from processed cheeses like Velveeta to natural varieties such as Cracker Barrel cheddar cheese. Some of their other well-known dairy product brands include Philadelphia, Kraft, Athenos, Breakstone’s cottage cheese and sour cream, Cheese-Whiz, and Knudsen.
Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.
Kansas City, Kansas
2022 Sales: $24.5 billion
Dairy Farmers of America is actually a cooperative, which means it’s co-owned by all of the farmers that make up the organization. In this case, over 13,000 farmers comprise DFA. These farmers send their milk to DFA facilities for processing, packaging, and selling.
Some of the co-op’s most recognizable brands include Borden Cheese, Breakstone’s Butter, Cache Valley, Cass Clay, Craigs Creamery, Dairy Maid Dairy, Falfurrias Butter, Guida’s Dairy, Keller’s Creamery Butter, Kemps, La Vaquita, Live Real Farms, Oakhurst Dairy, Plugrá Butter, and Sport Shake.
The majority of these brands are regional and use products from farms that are within the region they service.
Nestlé USA
Arlington, Virginia
2022 Sales: $21.3 billion
Even though the parent company of this giant of the global food industry is based in Switzerland, its American branch makes up a large part of the U.S. dairy industry, and its milk products and ice cream category is its fourth-highest-selling category.
Nestlé USA did sell its ice cream business to Froneri in 2020, and the annual earnings in this report reflect that.
Some of the company’s dairy product brands include Carnation, Coffee-mate, Drumstick, Häagen-Dazs, Nesquik, and La Lechera, to name a few.
Danone North America
White Plains, New York, and Broomfield, Colorado
2022 Sales: $20.9 billion
Danone North America is one of the top 15 food and beverage companies in the U.S. The company has been operating in the U.S. since 1997, but its operations in the country grew significantly in 2017 when it acquired WhiteWave Foods.
While its parent company is based in Paris, the North American Danone branch is based in White Plains, New York, and in Broomfield, Colorado, which is where WhiteWave was headquartered.
Some notable Danone brands include Activia, Danimals, Dannon, Horizon Organic, International Delight, Oikos, Left Field Farms, YoCrunch, and DanActive.
Conagra Brands
Chicago, Illinois
2022 Sales: $11.54 billion
Conagra Brands reaches our number six spot because of its Refrigerated and Frozen segment, which is mainly made up of dairy products but does include some non-dairy items.
Conagra has a number of well-respected and even iconic food brands, including Marie Callender’s, Pam, and Slim Jim.
However, their main dairy brands are Reddi-wip, Blue Bonnet, Parkay, Swiss Miss, Snack Pack, Wish-Bone, Healthy Choice, and Fleischmann’s.
These brands produce mainly whipped topping products, margarine and butter spreads, pudding, powdered milk-based drinks, and cream-based salad dressings.
Land O’Lakes, Inc.
Arden Hills, Minnesota
2022 Sales: $9.9 billion
Land O’Lakes, Inc. and California Dairies, Inc., both reported $4 billion in sales during 2019.
Land O’Lakes is a cooperative that started in 1921 as the Minnesota Cooperative Creameries Association. Now, over 1,700 dairy farmers are a part of the organization.
The co-op manufactures products under their own private label and contracts with other labels, which include brands such as Alpine Lace, Kozy Shack, and Vermont Creamery.
Unilever, North American Operations
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
2022 Sales: $8.3 billion
Since Unilever offers so many different products, their ranking on this list is based on their estimated revenues from their Foods and Refreshment segment, which means some non-dairy products were included in the estimate.
The company has a large number of recognizable frozen dairy product brands, including Ben Jerry’s, Breyers, Popsicle, Klondike, Good Humor, Magnum, and Talenti. The Foods and Refreshment segment also includes Fruttare, Lipton, and Pure Leaf.
Glanbia Nutritionals, U.S.
Chicago, IL
2022 Sales: $6.15 billion
Glanbia Nutritionals’ parent company is based in Kilkenny, Ireland, and its Avonmore brand is the number one dairy brand in Ireland.
Its U.S. branch, however, is based in Chicago and focuses on creating all kinds of cheeses and whey protein powders for customers on a contract basis.
Schreiber Foods, Inc.
Green Bay, Wisconsin
2022 Sales: $5.0 billion
Schreiber Foods is a leader in private-label and contract manufacturing. They mainly make cream cheese, natural cheese, processed cheese, yogurt, dairy-based powders, and shelf-stable dairy products, but they also make some other dairy products such as ghee, butter, ice cream, and sour cream.
Schreiber’s customer base spans the globe and includes retailers, restaurants, distributors, and food manufacturers. The company is based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, which is also appropriately also the home of the Cheeseheads.
Prairie Farms Dairy
Edwardsville, Illinois
2022 Sales: $3.6 billion
Prairie Farms Dairy is another cooperative that is based in the Midwest and is composed of over 700 farm families. They produce products under their own brand name and contractually manufacture products for other labels.
Some of the notable brands they’ve partnered with include Belfonte, Hiland Dairy, North Star, St. Pete’s Select, Amablu, Caves of Faribault, Mindoro Blue, and Mindoro Gorg.
The Kroger Co.
Cincinnati, Ohio
2019 Sales: $3.3 billion
Kroger is probably best known for having the U.S.’s largest chain of grocery stores, but it also produces plenty of its own food products. Their dairy offerings include milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream, dips, ice cream and other frozen dairy treats, whipping cream, and cheese.
The Kroger food brands include Kroger, Murray’s, Private Selection, and Simple Truth, as well as several other regional brands found in their stores.
Leprino Foods Co.
Denver, Colorado
2022 Sales: $1.6 billion
A family-owned company based in Colorado, Leprino Foods has grown into the world’s largest maker of mozzarella cheese. They also produce whey protein powders, micellar casein concentrate, and lactose powders.
They release their products under their own brand to other manufacturers as well as Ascent protein powders. They also have manufacturing and distribution partnerships with companies all over the world.
Great Lakes Cheese
Hiram, Ohio
2022 Sales: $770 million
Great Lakes Cheese is a privately owned company that produces products under its own brand name as well as its special brand Adams Reserve. Its other brands include Rico Mia, American Accent, and Thoughtful Organics.
As its name implies, Great Lakes Cheese focuses on cheese products, whether those are natural, processed, or specialty cheeses. The company does source some of its specialty products from Denmark, Holland, Switzerland, and Norway as well.
Lactalis Group, North American Operations
Buffalo, New York
2022 Sales: $376.8 million
Lactalis began in 1933 in Laval, France. Now they’ve expanded all over the world, and their North American branch has made it to the top 15 dairy companies in America. No matter which country they’re operating in, though, the company’s stated purpose is to uphold local farmers and food traditions.
Some of their U.S. brands include Stonyfield Organic, Green Mountain Creamery, Siggi’s, Karoun, Black Diamond, Parmalat, Galbani, and Président. Many of these brands are focused on cheeses and yogurts, but they also include milk and other dairy products.
California Dairies, Inc.
Visalia, California
2022 Sales: $260 million
California Dairies, Inc., is Land O’Lakes’ closest competitor as far as sales go, as both ended 2019 with $4.0 billion in sales. Also a dairy cooperative, California Dairies started when three dairy processing cooperatives merged and is now owned by nearly 400 families across California.
The co-op does produce butter, milk powder, and milk under its own brand name, but it also does contract manufacturing and owns Challenge Dairy Products, Inc., which includes both the Challenge and Danish Creamery butter brands.
What are some of the major trends in the dairy industry?
The biggest trend in the dairy industry right now is improving dairy sustainability. With concerns over the effect cattle farming has on the environment, many are looking for new ways to improve sustainability practices. However, other trends in the industry include:
Innovation in an attempt to restore sales
More digestive health claims
Growth of organic products
Frozen novelties as strong sellers
More e-commerce in the industry
A return to pre-pandemic purchasing habits
What state has the biggest dairy industry?
California has the biggest dairy industry, with 1.72 million milk cows in the state. Other states with high numbers of milk cows include Wisconsin (1.27 million), Idaho (661,000), Texas (650,000), and New York (630,000).
The state with the largest dairy company through is Illinois, which is the home of Kraft Heinz Co’s headquarters.
