Smith Dairy Products Company

What do you like about doing business in Ohio?

Milk is our primary product. Ohio is a great place to be for dairy farms, especially Wayne County. Each day over 200 farms generate more than 120,000 gallons of milk for our operations. Most farms are located within 50 miles of our plant to ensure maximum freshness. - Penny Baker, Director of Marketing

Description of business:

Smith Dairy has been family-owned and operated since January 1, 1909 when two brothers, John and Peter Schmid, borrowed $300 to start the dairy. Through hard work and a commitment to quality, the business grew at a healthy pace. Smith Dairy has grown from a local delivery service to a regional leader with distribution throughout Ohio and portions of Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan. We also take great pride in being dairy innovators. In 1999, we introduced the yellow jug, now a popular container that protects milk from UV light and preserves freshness and nutrients. We also produce millions of gallons of ice cream each year under the Ruggles and SMITH'S brand. Milk and ice cream aren't our only mainstays as we produce a number of non-dairy products like orange juice, fruit drinks and teas. In the end, it doesn't matter how much we think about our products if our customers don't share the same passion. That's reflected in our mission statement. Our mission is to treat customers, associates, and owners according to Christ's examples. We use the milking stool to represent this. Staying true to our mission has kept us in business for over 100 years. We are proud to be one of the few remaining independent dairy processors in the country today.