innovations

1890 – Innovation: First Centralized Creamery
Peavey in-law, John Franklin Haskell heads up small Topeka Kansas creamery named Beatrice Creamery Company Consolidated Inc. (Moved from Beatrice Nebraska). Brother George is president of their Chicago branch. which became the company headquarters in 1913. The nations first centralized creamery became the largest. Beatrice soon became the largest food processing company in the world with brands like Hunts, Jolly Rancher, Krispy Kreme, Swiss Miss, Tropicana, Dannon Yogurt, Altoids... even Samsonite and Playtex became Beatrice companies. Interestingly enough, Frank Peavey’s ConAgra purchased Beatrice foods over 100 years later in the 1990’s.