As an assignment for my History of American business class, I researched the history of Boise, Idaho, and wrote this business history of the fictitious Quality Milk Company. The story is based on actual facts and reflects the prices, technologies, regulations, politics, events, and issues that a dairy owner would have encountered during the last century.

1. milk delivery service
could also prosper in
History of the Boise, which then a
population of about
2000 people (“Idaho
Quality Milk State Historical
Society,” 1995). He
Company tested his concept by
talking with hotel
by Fran McKain managers, grocery store
owners, and a sampling
of housewives in various
neighborhoods. The
response was favorable,
so he proceeded with his
plans.
Joe and his wife,
Suzanne, and his four
teenage sons did all the
(Robidoux, 2007) work initially: caring for
the cows, milking,
The Quality Milk Company straining the milk, filling
(a fictitious company) was the tin milk cans, and
doing all the deliveries
established in 1887 in and collections. The raw
Boise, Idaho. milk was sold at 13
Joe Crew had ten Holstein heifers cents for a half gallon or
(Wessel, n.d.). He invited
shipped in from Montpelier, Idaho 7 cents for a quart, delivered from
municipal health experts to visit
on the new Oregon Short Line the large milk cans in the back of
his farm, even though there were
Railroad (“Short history and his wagon (“Prices and Price
no official health standards yet,
restoration,” 2009). He settled Indexes,” 1970). Customers
and asked them to attest to the
them on his 115-acre farm on the included residents, the Overland
cleanliness of his processes and the
river west of town, two miles and Central
purity of his
beyond the Chinese truck gardens. hotels (Austin,
products.
Although he paid only $150 apiece 1971), and a few
for them that year, within two grocers “Joe determined As his boys
years the young cows were in full (“Original South grew, so did his
Boise Plan,” that his company business. By 1900,
milk production and were worth
$300, each with a calf by her side n.d.). would produce he had 100 cows
(Early, 1914). only the highest and a crew of 15
Joe knew that
men. Quality Milk
Joe had earned the money for quality was a quality dairy
was delivering not
his land and his cows the year constant products.” just milk, but
before he brought his family to problem for the
butter and cheese
Boise from Baltimore. He worked milk business in
also. Joe’s delivery
for six months with a placer larger cities such
wagons all bore
mining crew in Idaho City, as his native
signs emphasizing
northeast of Boise. Baltimore, and he determined that
the purity of his milk and the
his company would produce only
Since settling in Boise, Joe had health of his pasture-fed cows. In
the highest quality dairy products.
watched the Chinese gardeners the early 1900s, a typhoid scare hit
In 1895 he installed pasteurizers in
deliver fresh vegetables to the the U.S. as a result of
his dairy. The equipment and
residents of the growing township contaminated milk. But Joe’s
bottles cost more than $500, but he
(Hart, 2010). He decided that a business remained steady because
paid for it from his savings
of the reputation he had built.

2. In 1917, Joe shifted his
business focus. A bottling and
distribution creamery had come to
Boise, and its advanced
manufacturing facilities out-
performed and out-priced his small
dairy. With a population of nearly
20,000 within the Boise city limits,
Joe also had numerous competitors
by then (“Idaho State Historical
Society,” 1995). World War I was
underway, and feed costs were
high. It was becoming difficult to
remain profitable, even with the
fine reputation of Quality Milk.
Joe helped to organize a
bargaining cooperative with other
dairy farmers in order to stabilize
milk prices. The distribution
(“Holstein cow,” 2010)
Quality Milk might not have were lower in Idaho than in many
survived the Great Depression if other states, and the demand for
Joe had not made that change dairy products was actually higher
when he did. Boise grew very little than any other commodities, so as
during the next 15 years after the the slump finally ended, Quality
war ended (“Idaho State Historical Milk had a healthy financial
(Kratochvil, n.d.)
Society,” 1995). But Joe’s profile (Anderson, n.d.). And
company was glad to work with company was well-positioned to speaking of healthy, another
the cooperative because it ensured continue to operate without much benefit of the dairy farmers’
for them a steady supply of milk investment while they waited for cooperative was collaboration with
(Wessel, n.d.). For Joe and his the economy to recover. Feed costs the University of Idaho’s dairy
fellow dairymen, this arrangement
gave them a steadier income
because the distributor handled the
occasional surplus production
which had previously created a
loss for the farmers.
This change in direction
enabled Joe to focus on producing
larger volumes of milk. By now,
his sons were running most of the
business. They had brought in
milking machines and were using
them almost exclusively. They
continued the attention to purity
that Joe had built his reputation
upon, and it made the Quality Milk
farm a favorite with the newly
established government inspectors
(Wessel, n.d.). Before long, the
distributor’s refrigerated milk
(Jannsen, n.d.)
tanker trucks were pulling into
Joe’s farm to be filled with milk.

3. research which resulted in a http://www.idahostatesman.co
program to prevent bovine m/
tuberculosis in Idaho’s dairy herds
Holstein cow [digital image].
and beef cattle (Anderson, n.d.).
Forming the cooperative had been
(2010). Retrieved July 14,
a wise move. 2011 from http://www.public-
domain-image.com
By 1940, Boise city limits had
begun creeping toward Joe’s farm. Idaho state historical society
The 115-acres felt cramped. Joe’s reference series: Boise City and
sons had ideas for expanding urban area population, 1863-
Quality Milk that would exceed 1980. (1995). Number 363.
the available space. Together, they Retrieved March 14, 2010 from
sold the land, on its prime location, http://www.boisestate.edu
for an excellent price and bought Jannsen, N. (n.d.). Milk trailer
500 acres south of town. Today, it [digital image]. Retrieved July
is Joe’s grandsons who run Quality 14, 2011 from
Milk. They have 700 cows in their http://www.alplm.org
dairy herd. The milking machines
are fully automated and pump the Original south Boise plan:
milk from the cow to the storage Chapter 2 background report.
vats to the waiting trucks (Roberts, (n.d.). Retrieved March 14,
2009). They still only hire 15 2010 from
employees, although annual http://www.cityofboise.org
payroll exceeds $400,000. The Prices and price indexes. (1970).
refrigerated tankers that visit Retrieved March 14, 2010 from
Quality Milk now collect almost http://www2.census.gov
6,000 gallons of milk every day
Roberts, B. (2009, July 26). Dairy
(Roberts, 2009). They have never
sees transition over 70 years.
failed a quality or safety
Idahostatesman.com. Retrieved
inspection. Joe would be proud.
March 14, 2010 from
http://www.idahostatesman.co
References m
Anderson, C. E. (n.d.). History of Robidoux, D. (2007). Couronne de
the College of Agriculture at lait / Milk crown [digital
the University of Idaho. image]. Retrieved July 14, 2011
Retrieved March 14, 2010 from from www.flickr.com
http://www.cals.uidaho.edu Short history and restoration.
Austin, J. (1971). Idaho state (2009). Retrieved March 14,
historical society reference 2010 from
series: Boise hotels. Number http://www.cityofboise.org
735. Retrieved March 14, 2010 Wessel, J. E. (n.d.). Baltimore’s
from http://www.boisestate.edu dairy industry and the fight for
Early, J.B. (1914, May 01). Big pure milk, 1900-1920.
producing Jerseys. Retrieved Retrieved March 14, 2010 from
March 14, 2010 from http://www.h-net.org/
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.go
v
Hart, A. (2010, January 31). Idaho
history: Remembering Idaho’s
Chinese gardens. Retrieved
March 14, 2010 from