What Cass-Clay Creamery does

Cass-Clay Creamery is a 100% farmer-owned regional dairy manufacturer and brand founded in 1934 as the Cass-Clay Cooperative Creamery Association in Moorhead, Minnesota, and now operated out of a manufacturing facility and headquarters at 21st Street and 3rd Avenue North in Fargo, North Dakota. Since 2012 it has operated within the Kemps family of brands under Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a national farmer-owned cooperative. The company employs 145 people and runs a single-plant dairy processing operation that converts locally sourced milk into a broad SKU portfolio: fluid milks across multiple fat levels (Whole, 2%, 1%, Fat-Free), Swiss Chocolate flavored milk, heavy cream and Half & Half, buttermilk, sour cream (regular, light, and French Onion dip), cottage cheese (4%, 2%, 1%, Fat-Free), sweet cream butter, seasonal egg nog, and orange juice (including a calcium-rich variant).

The business operates two distinct go-to-market motions. The retail channel sells packaged SKUs through regional grocery retailers across North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota, serving families and individual consumers with a product-led, locally branded value proposition anchored on the "100% farmer-owned," no-artificial-growth-hormones positioning. The food service channel supplies bulk (5-gallon milk dispensers, 5- and 35-pound cultured product tubs, 28-pound dry curd cottage cheese), individual (8 oz milks, 4-6 oz juices including a Citrus System line for hospitals and senior living), and portion pack (1,350-count creamers, 720-count butter cups, 100-count sour cream packets) SKUs to schools, hospitals, restaurants and cafés, with direct online ordering via the DFA-hosted cassclayordering.dfamilk.com portal. Revenue is generated through unit sales of these branded dairy SKUs across both channels; pricing is set at the retail and institutional account level rather than publicly disclosed.

Underlying operations are conventional dairy processing with no disclosed AI, software platform, or proprietary technology assets beyond the registered Cass-Clay® trademark and the Fargo plant's physical processing capacity. The competitive position rests on regional brand heritage, local manufacturing proximity to market, the cooperative milk supply and shared back-office leverage provided by DFA/Kemps, and an established food service distribution capability rather than on technology differentiation.

Name

Cass-Clay Creamery

Legal name

Cass-Clay Creamery

Website

https://cassclay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cass-Clay Creamery is a 100% farmer-owned regional dairy manufacturer in Fargo, ND (under Dairy Farmers of America/Kemps) that produces fluid milk, cream, cottage cheese, sour cream, butter, and juice for retail families and food service institutions across North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Product Manufacturing

NAICS

Fluid Milk Manufacturing (311511), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Creamery Butter Manufacturing (311512), Cheese Manufacturing (311513)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Fluid Milk & Cream Processing (AFAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dairy Spreads, Dips & Cream Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAL), Sweet Cream Butter Manufacturing (AFAHACAA), Cream & Half-and-Half Processing (AFAHAAAG), Sour Cream Manufacturing (AFAHADAD)

Keywords

• Fluid milk products
• Dairy manufacturing
• Cultured dairy products
• Food service distribution
• Regional dairy brand

Headquarters

HQ city

Fargo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Dairy Products: Cass-Clay generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of fresh dairy products including milk, cream, cottage cheese, sour cream, butter, and juice through retail grocery channels. Products are sold in various sizes and formats to families and individual consumers.
2. Food Service Bulk Products: Bulk and portioned dairy products sold to food service operations including schools, hospitals, cafés, and restaurants. Products include 5-gallon milk dispensers, 5-pound and 35-pound cultured product containers, individual serving milks and juices, and portion packs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cass-Clay Creamery is a 100% farmer-owned dairy manufacturer that processes locally sourced milk at its Fargo, North Dakota facility into a full line of fluid milk, cream, cottage cheese, sour cream, butter, juice, and seasonal products sold through regional grocery retail channels and directly to food service operations including schools, hospitals, restaurants, and cafés.

Product overview

Cass-Clay Creamery is a 100% farmer-owned dairy brand (cooperative of Dairy Farmers of America) operating as a traditional food manufacturing company. The product portfolio is organized as a single unified product line spanning multiple dairy categories rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core offerings include fluid milks (Whole, 2% Reduced-Fat, 1% Lowfat, Fat-Free Skim), Swiss Chocolate flavored milk, cream products (Heavy Whipping Cream, Half & Half), cultured products (Sour Cream, Light Sour Cream, French Onion Dip, Cottage Cheese varieties, Buttermilk), seasonal Egg Nog, Butter, and Juice (Orange Juice, Calcium-Rich Orange Juice). The portfolio also includes a dedicated Food Service division offering bulk milk in 5-gallon dispensers, bulk cultured products, individual milk and juice servings, and portion packs for institutional customers including schools, hospitals, cafes, and restaurants. All products share the common attributes of being sourced from local Midwest family farms, manufactured in Fargo, North Dakota, and carrying a no artificial growth hormones pledge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fluid Milk (Whole, 2%, 1%, Fat-Free, Swiss Chocolate) Fluid milk line including Whole Milk, 2% Reduced-Fat Milk, 1% Lowfat Milk, Fat-Free Skim Milk, and Swiss Chocolate 2% Reduced-Fat Milk, sourced from local Midwest family farms and available in multiple sizes for families and home consumers.
• Cream and Cultured Dairy (Heavy Whipping Cream, Half & Half, Buttermilk, Egg Nog) Cream and cultured dairy products including Heavy Whipping Cream, Half & Half, 1% Lowfat Buttermilk, and seasonal Egg Nog, sold in quart and pint plastic containers for cooking, baking, coffee enhancement, and seasonal use by families.
• Sweet Cream Butter Sweet Cream Butter crafted from fresh locally sourced cream, offered in 16oz plastic tub and 16oz paper-wrapped formats for home and kitchen use.
• Cottage Cheese (4%, 2%, 1%, Fat-Free) Cottage cheese line offering 4% Small Curd, 2% Lowfat, 1% Lowfat, and Fat-Free varieties in 22oz and 16oz plastic containers for families and health-conscious consumers.
• Sour Cream, Light Sour Cream, and French Onion Dip Cultured sour cream line including traditional Sour Cream, Light Sour Cream, and French Onion Dip sold in 16oz and 8oz plastic containers for home cooking and snacking.
• Orange Juice and Calcium-Rich Orange Juice 100% orange juice made from Florida orange juice concentrate, available in gallon, half gallon, pint, and calcium-rich half gallon plastic containers for retail families.
• Food Service Bulk Milk (5-Gallon Dispensers) 5-gallon bulk milk dispensers in Vitamin D whole, 2%, 1%, fat-free, and 2% chocolate milk varieties, supplied to food service operations for institutional feeding.
• Food Service Cultured Products (Sour Cream and Cottage Cheese) Bulk cultured dairy including 5-pound and 35-pound sour cream containers, 5-pound cottage cheese options, 2% and fat-free cottage cheese, and a 28-pound dry curd cottage cheese specifically for restaurant use.
• Individual Milk Servings (8 oz Cartons) 8 oz carton milks including Vitamin D whole, 2%, 1%, fat-free, 2% Swiss chocolate, and fat-free chocolate varieties for food service and institutional use.
• Individual Juices (6 oz and 4 oz) Individual serving juices including 6 oz orange juice (also calcium enriched) and 4 oz Citrus System orange and apple juices supplied to hospitals, senior living, and other institutional customers.
• Food Service Portion Packs Single-serving portion packs including 1,350-count (3/8 oz) dairy and shelf-stable coffee creamers, 720-count AMPI butter cups, and 100-count (1 oz) sour cream packets for food service operators.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Dairy Farmers of America (DFA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012In 2012, Cass-Clay became part of the Kemps family of brands, making it a 100% farmer-owned brand of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a leading global dairy cooperative of family dairy farmers across the United States. DFA provides the cooperative structure and farmer network that supplies milk to Cass-Clay's manufacturing facility.
• KempscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCass-Clay became part of the Kemps family of brands in 2012, providing access to Kemps' brand portfolio and distribution network while maintaining its regional identity and operations in Fargo, North Dakota.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Organic Valley: Organic Valley is a farmer-owned cooperative specializing in organic dairy including milk, butter, cream, and cottage cheese. Comparable cooperative structure and overlapping product categories, differentiated by organic positioning and national scale.

Direct peers

• Shamrock Farms: Shamrock Farms is a family-owned regional dairy producing fluid milk, flavored milk, and cream products with strong food service presence. Comparable mid-sized regional dairy manufacturer with similar retail and institutional channels.
• Hiland Dairy: Hiland Dairy is a farmer-owned regional dairy processor offering fluid milk, cultured products, ice cream, and juices across the Midwest. Comparable mid-sized regional cooperative model with similar retail and food service channels.
• Kemps: Kemps is Cass-Clay's sister brand within the DFA cooperative family, operating a similar Midwest fluid milk and ice cream portfolio. Most directly comparable as a fellow DFA-owned regional dairy brand with overlapping product categories and distribution.
• Prairie Farms Dairy: Prairie Farms is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative producing fluid milk, cream, ice cream, cottage cheese, and cultured products across the Midwest and South. Closely comparable business model, product mix, and cooperative ownership structure.

Broad incumbents

• Schreiber Foods: Schreiber Foods is a major dairy manufacturer and supplier producing cultured products, processed cheese, and dairy ingredients for retail and food service. Comparable dairy manufacturing capabilities with broader B2B ingredient focus.
• Land O'Lakes: Land O'Lakes is a major US farmer cooperative with a large butter and dairy foods business. Comparable cooperative ownership and butter manufacturing capabilities, but operates at significantly larger national scale with broader product portfolio.
• Dean Foods / Borden Dairy: Borden Dairy is a national fluid milk processor offering regional and private-label milk, cream, and cultured products. Comparable core dairy product categories but operates at national scale with much broader geographic footprint.

Regional players

• Upstate Niagara Cooperative: Upstate Niagara is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative serving the Northeast with fluid milk, cultured products, and dairy ingredients. Comparable cooperative structure and product portfolio but operates in different geography (New York and Northeast vs Cass-Clay's upper Midwest).
• Blue Bell Creameries: Blue Bell is a regional dairy manufacturer specializing in ice cream and frozen desserts. Comparable mid-sized regional dairy brand with strong consumer loyalty, though Cass-Clay's ice cream production is minor relative to its fluid milk business.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CassClayCreamery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cass-clay-creamery-truck-garage

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 Cass-Clay Creamery