We have recently switched brands of milk for all of our school accounts across Vermont, New York and New Hampshire from Hoods to Garelick Farms and some people are asking “so why the switch?”

Let’s start with a little back ground on both companies. Both Hoods and Garelick started in Massachusetts and have since expanded to national distribution. Hoods sells a variety of branded, private label, licensed and franchise products all around the country. Garelick was independently operated until 1997 when it was purchased by Dean Foods. Third generation owner of Garelick, Alan Bernon, is still the Chef Operating Officer for the Northeast Region Distribution. Both source milk from Vermont, New York and New Hampshire through basically the same milk distributor Dairy Marketing Services, to be regionally used around New England.

We decided it was a time for a change for a couple of reasons. The first being a matter of brand recognition with the TruMoo brand chocolate milk by Garelick. The TruMoo brand is committed to using no high fructose corn syrup and 35% less sugar than leading chocolate milk brands so you can feel good about feeding it to children on a daily basis.

The second reason is a matter of location and distribution. Even though both Hoods and Garelick are both from Massachusetts, Garelick uses a higher portion of Vermont farmer’s milk in their 8oz boxed milks. Due to this, we find this makes for a more centrally local product to be used in our school accounts, a practice that is very near to our hearts. Please see just how much milk is coming from Vermont in the attached photo.

Please visit the Garelick farms website for more information on this great dairy provider!

http://www.garelickfarms.com/