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The Rise of Stonyfield Farm
Stonyfield Farm began in 1983 with just a few Jersey cows and a great-tasting yogurt recipe.
The co-founders Samuel Kaymen and Gary Hirshberg were running a nonprofit organic farming school on a small New Hampshire farm. They were on a mission to help family farms survive, keep food and food production healthy, and help protect the environment. But the school needed funding, so they put the farm’s seven cows to work and began selling yogurt made without the use of toxic pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
The yogurt was a hit, so the founders committed to forming an organic food company that would help make healthy food more accessible to the masses.
The Role of the OU
Partnering with OU—the world’s largest and most widely recognized kosher certification agency—to certify their full line of offerings as kosher helped the company further expand their business.
Of this partnership, founder Gary Hirshberg said: “OU certified kosher products are identified with quality, which makes it a good fit for us. We always wanted to be able to offer the kosher market the best-tasting yogurt possible. We sell very well in New York and the Northeast, and we see the OU label as another tool to help us continue to expand our business. Just as the organic niche has grown, we expect the kosher niche to grow.”
Companies Like Stonyfield Farm Recognize the Kosher Advantage
“Often labels will sport an ‘O’ with a ‘U’ inside. This is the stamp of approval of the largest kosher-certification body, and basically means there’s no need to read the label….” — Wall Street Journal
Over $150 billion in kosher certified products are consumed annually and there is clear evidence that kosher symbols boost market share—a kosher product will outperform a non-Kosher product by 20%.
All of Stonyfield Farm’s yogurts, smoothies, soy-yogurts, frozen yogurt, ice cream, and milk are OU-D kosher certified, because the company recognizes the kosher certification as an extremely important tool to enhance their products’ marketability.
OU Signifies Quality
And because the OU carefully reviews all ingredients and production practices before granting its seal, consumers trust the OU seal.
OU certification is a widely recognized symbol of quality by food industry personnel, kosher inspectors, and shoppers. When brands like Stonyfield Farm work with OU, their products become an easy first choice, particularly for the kosher consumer.
“It opens opportunities for our customers, who recognize that products with the OU certification are made with premium ingredients. And in a practical sense, it means we can sell to everybody,” Stonyfield Farm division manager Greg Fonte said of the company’s OU certification.
Stonyfield Farm Today
Today, Stonyfield Farm is the world’s leading organic yogurt maker, with net sales of $370 million in sales in 2016. They no longer have their own cows, but the company has the same delicious yogurt recipe. And every batch is still made with the highest quality 100% natural and certified organic ingredients.
