Ever tasted milk so fresh it seems to sing? Rockview Family Farms Dairy. That’s the story we’re about to uncover. Right here in Downey California. Rockview Family Farms Dairy began in 1927. Bob Hops established this landmark. Joseph J McCandless took over in 1930. He organized the dairy into the thriving business it became.
Rockview Family Farms Dairy wasn’t just a dairy. It was a Downey institution. A gold medal winner at the Los Angeles County Fair in 1938 for its exquisite raw milk. The McCandless brothers and their Irish wife sold the milk retail. They offered tours too. Over 15000 schoolchildren and scouts visited each year. Imagine those tours. The smell of fresh hay. The lowing of contented cows.
But success wasn’t without its challenges. A devastating fire in 1957 destroyed a 900-foot barn. Thousands of tons of hay were lost. Damage was estimated at $50000. The cause? Children playing with matches. Or so the dairy spokesman believed. Despite this setback Rockview Family Farms Dairy continued to grow. It boasted 250 employees and four drive-in dairy stores by 1959. Rockview’s low prices were a boon for housewives. The dairy’s cattle were champions accumulating 175 gold medals at state and county fairs.
Peter DeGroot a milk supplier bought the dairy in 1965. The McCandless brothers had declared bankruptcy. DeGroot expanded the business considerably. He added more drive-in stores home delivery routes and wholesale routes. Rockview Family Farms Dairy’s processing plant in Downey used cutting-edge technology. They implemented the Q5i Near Infrared In-Line Analyzer for quality control. They pasteurized their milk using the HTST method. This ensured the best nutrition and taste. They processed close to a million gallons of milk weekly. Milk crate theft was a significant ongoing problem costing the company a fortune.
Rockview Family Farms Dairy offered a vast array of products. Whole milk organic milk butter buttermilk cottage cheese cream half-and-half sour cream juice and yogurt. In 2014 they even rebranded their organic milk. They switched from the Good Heart label to their own brand. This reflected growing brand awareness. They had dairy cows in Chino northern California and Nevada. Milk was processed and delivered to customers within 48 hours of milking. They were proud of this fast turnaround.
Rockview Family Farms Dairy had a significant distribution network. In 2001 they delivered over 500000 gallons of milk weekly. They used a fleet of refrigerated trucks and trailers. They even had home delivery services. Jim Pastor a contractor served 4800 homes. He utilized fourteen milkmen. He even got 300 new customers from word-of-mouth marketing. Rockview Family Farms Dairy’s story is one of innovation resilience and family. It’s a testament to the enduring spirit of entrepreneurship. It’s a story etched in Downey’s history. A taste of success brewed with hard work. A legacy of creamy goodness. And that’s the Rockview Family Farms Dairy story.