Turkey Hill (company)
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| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1931 |
| Founder(s) | Armor Frey |
| Headquarters | Conestoga, Pennsylvania, US |
| Area served | Mid-Atlantic States |
| Revenue | $250 Million |
| Parent | Kroger |
Turkey Hill Minit Markets is a chain of Pennsylvania convenience store/gas stations, a subsidiary of the retail supermarket chain Kroger. A sister company, Turkey Hill Dairy is a dairy processor in Conestoga, Pennsylvania, selling their fresh milk products in Pennsylvania, and their ice cream and drinks from Vermont[1] to Florida[2] and as far west as Oregon. They have always been separate companies, but with the same ownership.
In 2003, Turkey Hill Dairy produced 26 million US gallons (98,000 m3) of ice cream, 24 million US gallons (91,000 m3) of iced tea and 13 million US gallons (49,000 m3) of milk. Since 2000, Turkey Hill has been the nation's top-selling brand of refrigerated iced tea.[3] and in 2011 claims to be the fourth-largest producer of ice cream,[4], after Nestlé (Häagen-Dazs, Dreyer's/Edy Grand, Mövenpick), Unilever (Ben & Jerry's and Breyers Ice Cream), and Wells' Dairy (Blue Bunny).[5]
Turkey Hill Dairy has partnerships with the Tasty Baking Company of Philadelphia, Snyder's of Hanover, St. John's University, Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, and Tootsie Roll Industries' Junior Mints allowing them to produce and distribute theme-flavored ice cream based on the products of these companies.
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[edit] Turkey Hill Dairy
Turkey Hill Dairy began in 1931 during the Great Depression, when farmer Armor Frey began selling bottled milk to neighbors from his sedan.[6] Frey's family obtained the farm directly from Thomas and Richard Penn, sons of William Penn, and the sheepskin deed to the farm refers to "turkeyhill".[6] Turkey Hill Ridge had been given its name by the Conestoga Indians for the wild turkeys found there, so the family decided to name their dairy after the name on the deed and the nearby geographical feature.[1][7]
After his milk route grew too large, Armor sold the dairy to sons Glen, Emerson and Charles Frey in 1947. Milking the cows and delivering milk to customers within a few miles provided these three families with a satisfactory income.[6]
In 1980, the dairy began making ice cream, which sold well in Lancaster County, and in 1981, they started selling the ice cream through a few independent stores in Philadelphia.[6] Turkey Hill quickly began to expand into New Jersey and up the East Coast. In the early 2000s Turkey Hill's products started to get sold in places further west, such as Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. In the next few years, Turkey Hill rapidly expanded its distribution area, and its teas are now sold in over 45 states and the ice cream is now sold in over 25 states.
Both the dairy and the stores were sold in 1985 to Dillons, a subsidiary of Kroger.[8] The family was not completely out of the business as Quintin Frey, Armor's grandson, is president of the dairy.[3]
Turkey Hill Dairy produces dozens of flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt, no sugar added ice cream, light ice cream, all-natural "Philadelphia Style" ice cream, pint-sized "Stuff'd" ice creams featuring inclusions and marketed to a younger demographic, as well as monthly limited edition flavors also typically featuring inclusions and tie-ins with other food companies. In 2007, the dairy introduced a new line of soft serve ice cream and gelato called Duetto. In 2008, the dairy introduced a line of "Venice Ice" flavors of Italian ice.
[edit] Turkey Hill Minit Markets
In 1967, Charles and Emerson Frey opened the first Turkey Hill Minit Markets store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as a way to better market their dairy products.[9]
The stores operated as a separate business[8] - Farmland Industries - with the headquarters in the original store basement. In 1978, they built their current headquarters at 257 Centerville Road in East Hempfield Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
On December 19, 1974, the stores won a legal battle overturning the so-called blue laws that prohibited retailers opening on Sunday, and in 1976, they became the first company to offer self-service gasoline in Pennsylvania.[9]
In 1979, Turkey Hill Minit Market purchased 36 Louden Hill stores. In July 1985, they purchased a number of 7-Eleven stores and six Ideal Markets. That same year the Turkey Hill Minit Markets chain was purchased by Kroger. In Lancaster County, Turkey Hill Minit Markets were the overwhelming convenience store choice; in some cases, stores were located as close as three blocks apart. In the 1990s, Turkey Hill and competitors Sheetz and Wawa entered each other's home turf, as if a tacit understanding that they wouldn't compete with each other had expired. John Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil commented on the new situation in sworn testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary in March 2006:[10] "We are seeing healthy new retail competition emerging with brands such as Wawa, Sheetz, and Turkey Hill."
In 1998, Turkey Hill opened its 249th store in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. This store was the first of many stores to open with Food Service. Food Service offers fresh hoagies, sandwiches, pizza, and many other hot foods. Many new stores are built with food service and car washes. Beginning in 1999, new larger stores were opened with more of an emphasis on selling gasoline. About 200 of the 240 stores in Central Pennsylvania have gas pumps.[11]
[edit] Branding changes
In 2004, the stores adopted the current signage, featuring a stylized map of the contiguous U.S. Kroger also owns the Kwik Shop chain in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska; the Loaf 'N Jug Mini Marts in Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming; Quik Stop Markets in California and Nevada; and the Tom Thumb in Florida and Alabama - all of which use the same logo and font. The older stores will be getting face lifts with the new logo and store front.[12] Kroger has not indicated any plans yet to consolidate the marketing for their 800 convenience stores, but a new vice-president, Van Tarver, was named in June 2006 to oversee their convenience store and petroleum division.[13]
[edit] Turkey Hill Experience
The company, having established an "Imported From Lancaster County" tagline, opened a 26,000 square foot[14] tourist attraction in nearby Columbia, Pennsylvania, in the old Ashley & Bailey silk mill that had sat vacant for over a quarter-century.[15] They expect 250,000 annual visitors, who will learn about Lancaster County farming traditions, milk a mechanical cow, make ice cream, produce a television commercial, and enjoy a restaurant and gift shop.
The facility parallels nearby Hershey's Chocolate World in Derry Township. In the 1960s and before, many visitors toured the actual Hershey factory. Hershey stopped that tour, citing concerns that the number of visitors was too large. Today, Hershey World visitors climb on board a carnival funhouse-style ride where they go through an educational exhibit, and away from actual production where they might sneeze onto the candy, or spy an industrial secret.
Part of the Turkey Hill Experience is free, but admission to much of it costs $11.50, with a $2 discount for seniors and young children.[16]
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Current logo of Turkey Hill Dairy
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Minit Market logo from 2004 to present
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Turkey Hill script in 1999
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1993
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1967
[edit] Professional sports team sponsorships
Turkey Hill has an official sponsorship deal with Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union that allows Turkey Hill to be the only ice cream, iced tea, and lemonade products sold at its home, PPL Park.[17] Turkey Hill is also a prominent sponsor of its local minor league baseball teams, the Lancaster Barnstormers and the York Revolution, by having its logo dominate the scoreboards at both Clipper Magazine Stadium and Sovereign Bank Stadium.[18]
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Turkey Hill's logo at Clipper Magazine Stadium, Lancaster
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Turkey Hill featured on Sovereign Bank Stadium's Arch Nemesis, York
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[edit] References
- ^ a b About the Dairy
- ^ Pennsylvania Dutch Country has a home in Florida
- ^ a b "Turkey Hill Dairy supplies ice cream to much of the East Coast". Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-08082004-344720.html. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
- ^ "Made in PA:Turkey Hill Dairy - WPMT". York, PA. http://www.fox43.com/news/wpmt-amnews-madeinpa-turkeyhill,0,6417158.story. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
- ^ Ice Cream Wars: Nestlé vs. Unilever - Business Week - August 24, 2007
- ^ a b c d Dairy history
- ^ "A Look Inside Turkey Hill". Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Lancaster Farming. 2008-10-24. http://www.lancasterfarming.com/node/1545. Retrieved 2009-08-27.[dead link]
- ^ a b Kroger buys Turkey Hill Dairy and Farmland Industries
- ^ a b Minit Market timeline
- ^ John Hofmeister testimony
- ^ Minit Market Company History
- ^ About Fred Meyers
- ^ Kroger Promotes Tarver To Vice President Of Its Convenience Store And Petroleum Division
- ^ About the Turkey Hill Experience
- ^ Mid-Atlantic region's newest visitor destination to open this spring
- ^ Your Visit
- ^ "Turkey Hill Dairy partners with Philly Union". Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. http://philadelphiaunion.com/Content1.aspx?cid=2.1. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ^ "Turkey Hill Dairy partners with the Barnstormers". Conestoga, Pennsylvania. http://www.turkeyhill.com/events/barnstormers.asp. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
[edit] External links
- Turkey Hill Dairy's official site
- Ice Cream Journal: Turkey Hill Dairy's official blog
- Turkey Hill Minit Market's official site
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$1.249 billion 
