Purity Dairies
Encyclopedia
Purity Dairies is a Nashville
, Tennessee
, based dairy
company operated by the Ezell family. It offers products throughout Tennessee
, Alabama
, and Kentucky
. The company is owned by Dean Foods
.
, and Ezell's Dairy was one of the few that remained. In 1945, the farm was shut down, but Ezell obtained a small business loan, bought the Green Vale milk plant on Murfreesboro Road, and merged with Rosebank Dairies. In 1946, the company was formally incorporated as Purity Dairies. Albert Gasser joined the company as President and his high standards and commitment to quality helped Purity become the dominant milk producer in middle Tennessee. Purity at one time promoted itself as a provider of "Golden Gernsey" milk. Later, it stressed its "GoldenFlake" buttermilk and won many national awards with this product. Purity was one of the first to use HEPA filtration in its cottage cheese production area and this helped to dramatically improve the shelf life of the product. It was the first to use wax-free paper packaging and opaque gallon containers for milk. Purity was also known for creative advertising and used Jim Varney
in a series of ads that helped to expand its market penetration, with his character of Ernest P. Worrell
becoming an icon in the advertising world. A sales force was established in the mid-1950s with one man, Tom Pugh initially becoming the entire force. The force was later expanded to include several other sales professionals who were instrumental in expanding Purity's market share with area retailers. Finally, high quality product, customer service and clever advertising made Purity the sole survivor of dozens of middle Tennessee dairies that at one time existed in the area. In the 90's, Purity expanded its line to include a high quality ice cream that immediately became the best seller in the area. And in 1998, the company was purchased by Dean Foods. Members of the Ezell family, one of the founders, are still involved in the management of Purity Dairies.
, cultures, and ice cream
, the company sells beverages, including orange juice
, lemonade
, tea
and water
. Purity Dairies is also one of the few remaining sellers of the Nutty Buddy
.
Many other non-dairy products are available through home delivery which, as of April 1st 2008, is being handled by Plumgood Food
.
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, based dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
company operated by the Ezell family. It offers products throughout Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. The company is owned by Dean Foods
Dean Foods
Dean Foods is an American food and beverage company with two operating divisions: Fresh Dairy Direct and WhiteWave-Morningstar. The company maintains plants and distributors in the United States and the United Kingdom. Dean Foods products are sold throughout the USA.-History:In 1925, Samuel E...
.
History
In 1926, Dr. C.N. Cowden sold his dairy farm to Miles Ezell after he had rented it for a year, and it was named Ezell's Dairy. By the 1940s, many local dairies had closed due to the requirement of pasteurizationPasteurization
Pasteurization is a process of heating a food, usually liquid, to a specific temperature for a definite length of time, and then cooling it immediately. This process slows microbial growth in food...
, and Ezell's Dairy was one of the few that remained. In 1945, the farm was shut down, but Ezell obtained a small business loan, bought the Green Vale milk plant on Murfreesboro Road, and merged with Rosebank Dairies. In 1946, the company was formally incorporated as Purity Dairies. Albert Gasser joined the company as President and his high standards and commitment to quality helped Purity become the dominant milk producer in middle Tennessee. Purity at one time promoted itself as a provider of "Golden Gernsey" milk. Later, it stressed its "GoldenFlake" buttermilk and won many national awards with this product. Purity was one of the first to use HEPA filtration in its cottage cheese production area and this helped to dramatically improve the shelf life of the product. It was the first to use wax-free paper packaging and opaque gallon containers for milk. Purity was also known for creative advertising and used Jim Varney
Jim Varney
James Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
in a series of ads that helped to expand its market penetration, with his character of Ernest P. Worrell
Ernest P. Worrell
Ernest P. Worrell is a fictional character most principally portrayed by the late American actor Jim Varney in a series of television commercials, and later in a television series as well as a series of feature films. Ernest was created by the Nashville advertising agency Carden and Cherry and was...
becoming an icon in the advertising world. A sales force was established in the mid-1950s with one man, Tom Pugh initially becoming the entire force. The force was later expanded to include several other sales professionals who were instrumental in expanding Purity's market share with area retailers. Finally, high quality product, customer service and clever advertising made Purity the sole survivor of dozens of middle Tennessee dairies that at one time existed in the area. In the 90's, Purity expanded its line to include a high quality ice cream that immediately became the best seller in the area. And in 1998, the company was purchased by Dean Foods. Members of the Ezell family, one of the founders, are still involved in the management of Purity Dairies.
Products
Aside from normal dairy products like milkMilk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
, cultures, and ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
, the company sells beverages, including orange juice
Orange juice
Orange juice is a popular beverage made from oranges. It is made by extraction from the fresh fruit, by desiccation and subsequent reconstitution of dried juice, or by concentration of the juice and the subsequent addition of water to the concentrate...
, lemonade
Lemonade
Lemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar.The term can refer to three different types of beverage:...
, tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
and water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
. Purity Dairies is also one of the few remaining sellers of the Nutty Buddy
Nutty Buddy
Nutty Buddy is an ice cream cone topped with vanilla ice cream chocolate ice cream, chocolate and peanuts, manufactured in the United States....
.
Many other non-dairy products are available through home delivery which, as of April 1st 2008, is being handled by Plumgood Food
Plumgood Food
Plumgood Food was an online grocery store based in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 2004 by Kate and Eric Satz and serves Middle Tennessee and Kentucky. The company went out of business in late 2008....
.