In 1987 Springfield Creamery moved across town to Eugene to a newer larger plant, allowing Nancy’s product line to expand. The Kesey’s purchased 10 acres, landscaped their surroundings, and for the first time had ample room to grow. It was only seven years later when they were forced to rebuild.
In 1994, an electrical malfunction caused a fire, which destroyed most of the Springfield Creamery complex. Thanks to the dedicated help of employees, friends and community, the creamery was back in production with temporary facilities in just three weeks. “We didn’t appreciate just how loyal our following was until that moment,” says Sue. “Every day we received dozens of letters from people who said they would wait for us. After the fire I called our major customers to say we were temporarily shut down and they might need to find another yogurt to fill the shelves. Everyone decided to wait for us and put signs up explaining our absence.” The beautiful new creamery building was finished a year later, in 1995. In 1997, the Gyoto Monks came to Eugene and Nancy’s Yogurt put on a benefit for a school the monks were building in Dharmsala. The monks came out to the newly rebuilt creamery and made a blessing. “It has been good ever since,” Sue says.
Today, Springfield Creamery has 84 products in its Nancy’s line, including honey yogurt, low fat yogurt and nonfat yogurt, lowfat cottage cheese, organic lowfat cottage cheese, kefir, cream cheese, nonfat yogurt drink, organic nonfat yogurt, organic whole milk yogurt, organic sour cream, and Nancy’s newest product: organic cultured soy.
Same Healthful Products. Same Healthy Values Although Springfield Creamery has grown over the years, the important things that the Nancy’s brand was built on have not changed one bit. “We still do all of our own fruit, and that’s the essence of who we are,” says Sue. “Sure, we could use flavor extenders and put cane sugar in our products. We could make a cheaper yogurt that would capture more shelf space, and we could make a whole lot more money. But that’s not us. We may have grown, we may have gotten more sophisticated, but we haven’t changed who we are and what we believe in. We still carry the same values we started out with — bringing the best food at the best price to the most people.”
This supplier is located 287 miles from our Seattle warehouse
Eugene, OR
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