Producer profile

Nancy's
Springfield Creamery
Eugene, Oregon

by Alicia Lundquist Guy

(Sound Consumer, April 2003) — Springfield Creamery, makers of Nancy's brand dairy products, has been a familial adventure for Sue and Chuck Kesey for more than 40 years.

In 1960, with fresh degrees in business and dairy technology from Oregon State University, the Keseys opened Springfield Creamery in Springfield, Oregon. At first they did custom bottling and provided milk to Springfield schools. With the growth of the natural foods movement in the early 1970s, they saw an opportunity to try something new.

Chuck was interested in the emerging concept of incorporating beneficial cultures, such as L. acidophilus, into dairy products. The Creamery's bookkeeper, Nancy Hamren, had been making yogurt at home for years. Together they tinkered with formulas at the creamery and came up with Nancy's Yogurt. The first small batches were sold down the road at the Willamette People's Co-op.

An encouraging friend from the Bay area convinced the Keseys that there was a larger market for their new product. He drove a U-Haul full of Nancy's Yogurt wrapped in blankets all the way to San Francisco through the middle of a winter's night. Sue Kesey laughs about the fact that everyone was starting out then.

One of their first delivery drivers was Huey Lewis (yes, of Huey Lewis and the News) — just a guy who delivered Nancy's Yogurt during the day and played in a band at night. She admits, "We had no clue. We were in the right place at the right time with a product that had integrity. We were very lucky."

With a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work, the family business continued to grow. In 1979, they bought 10 acres of industrial-zoned land in Eugene, Oregon, knowing they would need a larger facility. Springfield Creamery moved into its newly built 20,000- square-foot facility in 1987.

"When we first bought the land, we planted evergreen trees around the perimeter of the property — redwood, sequoia, pine and fir," Sue says. "Now those trees are more than 20 years old. Two-thirds of the property is still open fields and you can go out back for a private walk in the middle of the day." They even have a greenhouse to tinker in recreationally and keep the office replete with fresh roses and orchids.

Over the years, the Nancy's product line has grown to include yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, kefir and sour cream. In 1994, as some Nancy's loyalists will remember, a devastating fire erupted in the Springfield Creamery, completely shutting down production for three weeks. A reduced production was squeezed into a 6,000-square-foot undamaged cooler building until the main building could be rebuilt.

The Creamery's bookkeeper, Nancy Hamren, had been making yogurt at home for years. Together they tinkered with formulas at the creamery and came up with Nancy's Yogurt.

Nancy's Cottage Cheese lovers were out of luck for an entire year. With their steadfast customers and longtime employees, the Springfield Creamery rebounded completely. Today Springfield Creamery produces an average of 20,000 gallons of yogurt and 15,000 pounds of cottage cheese each week.

In 1996 Springfield Creamery introduced their line of organic yogurt and other organic dairy products when a consistent supply of organic milk became available. All the milk in Nancy's products comes from local cows that live within 50 miles of the Creamery.

The Keseys are committed to keeping Springfield Creamery from getting too big. Sue says, "We started with just a couple (Chuck and me). If we got too much bigger, we'd lose the nice, family-type things we are able to do. We're happy with the size." Springfield Creamery employs 50 full- and part-time employees.

Nancy Hamren is still the bookkeeper. The Keseys' son, Kit, is the plant production supervisor. Their daughter is the special projects coordinator. Even 13-year-old grandson Blake doesn't hesitate to make suggestions. They get inquiries about buyouts, but they aren't selling!

"The next generation in the family is interested in continuing things here," says Sue. "We're in a transition time — not that we are going to retire, but we might slow down." The Kesey family will just keep adding to 43 years and thousands of happy customers behind a great product.

See Nancy's Springfield Creamery for more information.