What Alta Dena does

Alta Dena Dairy is a regional, consumer-facing dairy brand operating exclusively in Southern California. Founded in 1945 in Monrovia, California by three brothers — Elmer, Edgar, and Harold Stueve — with 61 cows and a delivery wagon, the company built its identity on farm-to-table freshness and family-farm values. By 1953 it had grown into the largest dairy in California and, at peak family involvement, over 70 Stueve family members worked at the company. Today Alta Dena is 100% owned by Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a U.S. dairy farmer cooperative, and operates as one of DFA's owned regional brands.

The company's product portfolio spans the full fluid and cultured dairy category: whole, reduced-fat (2%), low-fat (1%), fat-free, lactose-free, and protein-enriched milk; half-and-half and heavy whipping cream; ready-to-use whipped toppings (dairy and non-dairy); cultured buttermilk and sour cream; cottage cheese in regular and low-fat variants; plain and flavored yogurts; seasonal and traditional eggnog; and lemonade. Manufacturing is handled through DFA's shared dairy infrastructure rather than dedicated Alta Dena plants, so the company itself runs a lean organization (11-50 employees) focused on brand stewardship, marketing, and retailer relationships. A newer sub-brand, Alta Dena Protein, extends the line into the high-protein functional category via a lactose-free whole milk delivering 15g of protein per serving.

Alta Dena makes money by selling its branded dairy products through retail grocery channels — major and independent — across Southern California, with a consumer-facing zip-code store locator on its website driving where-to-buy decisions. The company does not operate direct-to-consumer e-commerce, food service distribution, or a public/partner API. Pricing is set at retail and not disclosed. Brand marketing is anchored on recipe content (100+ recipes) and family/farm storytelling, with partnerships such as Disney- and Marvel-themed recipes used to engage consumers. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of DFA, Alta Dena's financial results are not separately reported.

Name

Alta Dena

Legal name

Alta Dena Dairy

Website

https://altadenadairy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alta Dena Dairy is a 100% farmer-owned regional dairy brand owned by Dairy Farmers of America, selling fresh fluid milk, cream, cultured, yogurt, and eggnog products through Southern California retail grocery channels since 1945.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Products

NAICS

Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Fluid Milk Manufacturing (311511)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Dairy-Based Meal Replacement & Nutrition Drinks (RTD Nutritional Shakes, Medical Nutrition) (AFAHAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fermented Drinkable Dairy (Lassi, Ayran, Doogh, Chaas/Buttermilk Drinks) (AFAHAIAB), Plant-Based Frozen Desserts Processing (Non-Dairy Ice Cream, Gelato, Novelties) (AFAHAJAE)

Keywords

• Fluid milk processing
• Dairy product manufacturing
• Cultured dairy products
• Flavored yogurt production
• Whipping cream products

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of Industry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Dairy Product Sales: Alta Dena generates revenue through the sale of fresh dairy products including milk, cream, buttermilk, egg nog, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt, and lemonade through retail grocery channels across Southern California.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Alta Dena produces and sells a comprehensive range of fresh dairy products including fluid milk (whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free, lactose-free, and protein-enriched varieties), cream products (half & half, heavy whipping cream, whipped creams), cultured products (buttermilk, sour cream, cottage cheese), seasonal egg nog, yogurt (plain and flavored), and lemonade. All products are sourced from local Southern California family farms and distributed through retail grocery channels.

Product overview

Alta Dena Dairy is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative providing fresh, wholesome dairy products to Southern California families since 1945. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of dairy products including various types of fluid milk (whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free, lactose-free, and protein-enhanced varieties), cream products (half & half, heavy whipping cream, whipped creams), cultured products (buttermilk, sour cream, cottage cheese), egg nog (traditional and seasonal flavors), yogurt (plain and flavored varieties), and lemonade. All products are sourced from local family farms and processed with a commitment to quality and freshness. The company is a 100% farmer-owned brand of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alta Dena Protein: High-protein dairy product line delivering 15 grams of protein per serving, made with real California milk.

Products and services

• Extra Protein Lactose Free Whole Milk Lactose-free whole milk delivering 15 grams of high-quality dairy protein per serving, made with real milk from Southern California farms. Targeted at health-conscious consumers and lactose-intolerant drinkers seeking high-protein nutrition.
• Whole Milk Fresh whole milk available in gallon, half gallon, quart, pint, and 14 oz sizes for household dairy consumption.
• 2% Reduced-Fat Milk Reduced-fat milk with 2% milkfat, available in multiple sizes including gallon, half gallon, quart, pint, and 14 oz.
• 1% Lowfat Milk Low-fat milk with 1% milkfat content, available in gallon and other sizes.
• Fat-Free Milk Non-fat milk with no milkfat, available in gallon and other sizes.
• Lactose-Free Whole Milk Whole milk specially processed to remove lactose for individuals with lactose intolerance.
• Lactose-Free 2% Milk 2% reduced-fat milk processed to remove lactose for lactose-intolerant consumers.
• Half & Half Blend of milk and cream, available in half gallon and quart sizes for coffee and cooking.
• Heavy Whipping Cream Rich cream suitable for whipping and baking, available in half gallon and quart sizes.
• Sweetened Vanilla Whipping Cream Pre-sweetened vanilla-flavored whipped cream for topping desserts.
• Whipped Light Cream Ready-to-use whipped light cream in aerosol can.
• Non-Dairy Dessert Topping Non-dairy alternative whipped topping in aerosol can.
• Whipped Dairy Topping Ready-to-dispense whipped dairy topping in small aerosol can.
• 1% Lowfat Cultured Buttermilk Buttery smooth, old-fashioned cultured buttermilk with 1% milkfat.
• Traditional Egg Nog Traditional eggnog beverage available in half gallon and quart sizes as a seasonal product.
• Vanilla Spice Eggnog Seasonal eggnog flavored with vanilla and spice.
• Pumpkin Spice Eggnog Seasonal eggnog with pumpkin spice flavor.
• 4% Cottage Cheese Regular fat cottage cheese with 4% milkfat, available in 16 oz, 24 oz, and 5 lb sizes.
• 2% Cottage Cheese Low-fat cottage cheese with 2% milkfat, available in 16 oz, 24 oz, and 3 lb sizes.
• Sour Cream Cultured sour cream available in 8 oz, 16 oz, 3 lb, and 5 lb sizes.
• Plain Whole Yogurt Plain whole milk yogurt in 32 oz container.
• Plain Nonfat Yogurt Non-fat plain yogurt in 32 oz container.
• Plain Lowfat Yogurt Low-fat plain yogurt in 32 oz container.
• Vanilla Yogurt Vanilla-flavored low-fat yogurt in 32 oz container.
• Raspberry Yogurt Raspberry-flavored low-fat yogurt in 32 oz container.
• Peach Yogurt Peach-flavored low-fat yogurt in 32 oz container.
• Blueberry Yogurt Blueberry-flavored low-fat yogurt in 32 oz container.
• Lemonade Refreshing lemonade beverage available in gallon and half gallon sizes.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dairy Farmers of America (DFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlta Dena is 100% owned by Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a leading global dairy cooperative of family dairy farmers. DFA is a cooperative of farmer-owners committed to holding themselves to the highest standards. Alta Dena represents one of DFA's owned dairy brands in Southern California.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Clover Sonoma: Regional dairy brand based in Northern California offering fluid milk, cream, and cultured products across California grocery channels. Highly comparable as a California-focused, farmer-relationship-positioned dairy brand competing in overlapping retail channels.
• Straus Family Creamery: Organic, non-GMO dairy brand based in Northern California supplying fluid milk, cream, yogurt, and butter. Comparable as a California regional dairy brand built on family-farm values and sustainable farming positioning.
• Darigold: Farmer-owned cooperative (Pacific Northwest) producing fluid milk, cream, butter, and dairy ingredients. Comparable in farmer-cooperative ownership structure and broad dairy product mix serving regional U.S. retail channels.

Broad incumbents

• Horizon Organic: National organic dairy brand (also owned by DFA/plum organics parent) offering fluid milk, yogurt, and cheese. Comparable in product mix and consumer positioning toward wholesome/family dairy, though national in scale.
• Organic Valley: Farmer-owned cooperative producing organic dairy (milk, butter, cheese, yogurt). Comparable in cooperative/farmer-ownership business model and similar "family farm" consumer positioning, though national in scale.
• HP Hood: Large national dairy processor/distributor owning Lactaid, Heluva Good!, and other dairy brands. Comparable as a multi-brand dairy producer serving U.S. grocery and foodservice channels with overlapping product categories (fluid milk, cream, cultured).

Direct peers

• Shamrock Farms: Family-owned regional dairy brand serving the Western/Southwestern U.S. with fluid milk, flavored milk, and cream products. Comparable in regional brand strategy, family-farm heritage positioning, and fluid milk retail distribution.
• Lactaid: National lactose-free dairy brand owned by HP Hood offering fluid milk, cottage cheese, and ice cream. Comparable because Alta Dena has explicitly launched into the lactose-free segment with Extra Protein Lactose-Free Whole Milk — direct category overlap.
• Borden Dairy: Iconic American regional dairy brand with concentrated U.S. footprint (notably Texas, Southeast). Comparable as a heritage regional dairy brand offering fluid milk and cream, positioned similarly by brand familiarity and legacy shelf relationships.
• Fairlife (Coca-Cola): Ultra-filtered, high-protein lactose-free fluid milk brand now owned by Coca-Cola. Directly comparable to Alta Dena Protein on the high-protein, lactose-free positioning and target consumer of nutrition-seeking dairy buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/altadenacertifieddairy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alta-dena-dairy

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 Alta Dena