What SmithFoods does

SmithFoods is a fourth-generation, family-owned dairy and non-dairy food manufacturer founded in 1909, headquartered in Edwardsville, Illinois, and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prairie Farms Inc., a farmer-owned dairy cooperative. The company produces fluid milk and cream, juices and teas, plant-based beverages (Ajoyo almondmilk), cultured products (sour cream, slow-cooked cottage cheese, dips), ice cream and frozen desserts, and custom blends for specialty or proprietary recipes. It operates an additional production footprint in Orrville, Ohio, where raw inputs are sourced from local dairy farms.

The business runs through three revenue segments: Retail & Direct Store Distribution, Foodservice, and Private Label/Co-Manufacturing. Branded consumer products (Smith's, Ajoyo) are sold through grocery retail and direct-store delivery; bulk and institutional dairy products are supplied to foodservice operators; and contract manufacturing produces private label items for major retailers, including Aldi's private label portfolio across multiple food categories. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based on volume and product specification.

The operating model is anchored by integration with Prairie Farms, which provides cooperative-scale raw milk sourcing, manufacturing capacity, and Midwest distribution reach. Geographic operations are concentrated in the U.S. Midwest, with customer reach extending through national retailer supply chains. Headcount sits in the 251-500 range. There is no evidence of disclosed software products, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities; the technology profile is conventional food processing and packaging, with proprietary custom-blend formulation as the primary differentiated capability.

Name

SmithFoods

Legal name

Smith Foods

Website

https://smithfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

SmithFoods is a fourth-generation U.S. dairy and non-dairy food manufacturer, subsidiary of Prairie Farms Inc., producing fluid milk, cultured products, ice cream, plant-based beverages, and custom blends across retail, foodservice, and private label co-manufacturing channels for grocery retailers and Aldi.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Manufacturing

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (31152), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Fluid Milk Manufacturing (311511), Cheese Manufacturing (311513)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts & Novelties Manufacturing (AFAKAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dairy Spreads, Dips & Cream Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAL), Ice Cream & Refrigerated Desserts (CRADACAE)

Keywords

• Dairy manufacturing
• Fluid milk processing
• Ice cream production
• Private label co-manufacturing
• Plant-based beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

Orrville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail & Direct Store Distribution: Manufacturing and selling dairy and non-dairy products under the Smith's brand through retail grocery stores and direct store distribution channels
2. Foodservice: Supply of dairy and non-dairy products to foodservice operators and institutional customers
3. Private Label/Co-Manufacturing: Manufacturing products for retailers under their own private label brands, such as supplying Aldi's private label products
4. Private Label Manufacturing for Aldi: Co-manufacturing arrangement where Smith Foods produces Aldi's private label products including various food categories

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

SmithFoods manufactures and distributes dairy and non-dairy food products including fluid milk and cream, juices, drinks and teas, plant-based almondmilk (Ajoyo), cultured products (sour cream, cottage cheese, dips), ice cream and frozen desserts, and custom blends for proprietary recipes. The company operates through three segments: Retail & Direct Store Distribution (Smith's and Ajoyo branded products via grocery retailers), Foodservice (supply to restaurants, hospitality, and institutional buyers), and Private Label/Co-Manufacturing (producing retailer-owned brands, including Aldi's private label products).

Product overview

SmithFoods is a fourth-generation family business and industry leader in dairy and non-dairy products, now part of the Prairie Farms family. The company operates three business segments: Retail & Direct Store Distribution, Foodservice, and Private Label/Co-Manufacturing. Their product portfolio centers on two main brands: Smith's (dairy products with over 100 years of history) and Ajoyo (plant-based almondmilk beverages). Their product categories include Milk & More (fluid milk and cream), Juices/Drinks/Teas, Plant-Based Beverages (almond milks), Cultured Products (sour cream, cottage cheese, dips), Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts, and Mixes & Custom Blends for foodservice customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ajoyo: Ajoyo almondmilk brand that adds genuine joy to healthier lifestyles using sustainable practices and real almonds.

Products and services

• Ajoyo Almondmilk

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Prairie FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmith's Dairy is part of the Prairie Farms family. This is a parent-subsidiary relationship where Prairie Farms acquired/merged with Smith Foods, bringing together fourth-generation family businesses under one cooperative network. Prairie Farms is a farmer-owned cooperative.
• AldicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmith Foods is one of 11 major food manufacturers that produce Aldi's private label products. Product recalls have served as public disclosure of these supplier relationships. Aldi announced rebranding its private label products starting in 2025, ending a nearly 50-year practice of using third-party pseudonyms.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wells Enterprises: Privately held, one of the largest ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturers in North America, with extensive private-label and co-manufacturing capabilities. Directly comparable to SmithFoods on ice cream/frozen dessert manufacturing for retailer brands including discount grocers.
• Schreiber Foods: Major private-label dairy and foodservice manufacturer producing cheese, yogurt, and cream-based products for global retailers and foodservice operators. Direct comparable on private-label/co-manufacturing GTM with similar customer concentration risk.
• Turkey Hill Dairy: Pennsylvania-based regional dairy and ice cream manufacturer selling branded and private-label products through retail and foodservice. Closely mirrors SmithFoods's three-segment model (retail DSD, foodservice, private label) at similar mid-size scale.
• HP Hood: Privately held dairy manufacturer producing fluid milk, cultured products, ice cream, and plant-based alternatives under branded and private-label programs. Comparable on multi-category dairy portfolio and co-manufacturing relationships with major retailers.
• Blue Bell Creameries: Regional ice cream manufacturer with strong branded DSD presence across the South and Midwest. Direct competitor in packaged ice cream where SmithFoods also competes, with similar private-label flexibility.

Broad incumbents

• Prairie Farms: Farmer-owned dairy cooperative that is SmithFoods's parent company. Overlap is essentially identical in dairy product mix (fluid milk, ice cream, cultured products), but Prairie Farms operates at much larger scale across multiple Midwest and Mid-South states.
• Saputo: Large publicly traded dairy processor with deep private-label penetration across fluid milk, cheese, cultured products, and frozen desserts. Comparable on private-label GTM and broad product portfolio, but operates at significantly greater scale.
• Blue Diamond Growers: Farmer-owned almond cooperative and maker of Almond Breeze, the leading branded almondmilk. Directly comparable to SmithFoods's Ajoyo almondmilk brand as the dominant branded incumbent in the same plant-based beverage category.

Regional players

• Kemps: Upper-Midwest dairy processor (HP Hood subsidiary) producing fluid milk, ice cream, and cultured products for retail and foodservice. Geographic overlap with SmithFoods in the Midwest dairy corridor makes it a head-to-head competitor for retailer shelf space.

Emerging players

• Stonyfield Farm: Organic yogurt and dairy producer (Danone subsidiary) with expanding plant-based offerings. Comparable on the cultured-products and organic/clean-label positioning that increasingly overlaps with Smith's premium SKU strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SmithFoods