HOULTON, Maine – Houlton Farms Dairy celebrates its 70th year in 2008, and although technologies and lifestyles have certainly changed, the dedication to local and quality products has remained of the highest caliber. Owned and operated by the Lincoln family of Houlton, Houlton Farms Dairy is truly a family business. Alice and Leonard, and their sons Eric and Jim are all co-owners. Mary Lincoln, wife of Jim Lincoln, manages all the dairy bar locations in Houlton, Presque Isle and Caribou. But of course, the effort doesn’t stop with the Lincolns.
“The reason we’re still here is dedication from family members and the employees and the producers,” explained Alice, “We all work together as a team.”
The family owned nature of the business keeps the ownership in direct contact with milk producers, employees, retailers and customers.
“If we want to make a decision, we can make it today – we don’t have to have a board meeting,” Alice said, “We have board meetings all through the day here.”
The company had modest beginnings when Alan Clark founded the dairy in 1938. Just a few months after business began, Milton Lambert, Jr. took on what he thought would be a part-time job – but then stayed with the company for 43 years.
The operation began with six local dairy farmers selling their milk to the new dairy. In their small wooden building on Commonwealth Avenue, Clark and Lambert worked with hand-turned butter churn and a hand-operated bottle-filling machine and made morning and night deliveries. But over the next few years, Clark and Lambert were able to streamline their business, and even take their work week from seven down to six days a week.
In the early 1940s, the U.S. government opened Air Force bases in Presque Isle and Houlton, increasing the demand for Houlton Farm Dairy’s products. Around this time, the dairy built an addition to the original building and installed new equipment, including automatic fillers. Then, during World War II, Houlton Farms Dairy milk was flown from the Presque Isle Air Base overseas to American troops stationed in England.
Throughout the next several decades, the company continued to expand and evolve, and remained on the cutting edge of the dairy business. Houlton Farms Dairy was the first dairy in Aroostook County to pasteurize its milk – a process that kept milk fresh for up to two weeks. In 1956, the dairy began using milk cartons, and was one of the first dairies in Maine to discontinue glass bottles.
After a series of smaller additions in the forties and fifties, in the mid-sixties the steel-framed masonry building was constructed at the Commonwealth Avenue location, and the business continued to modernize. The dairy adopted a new high temperature, short-time pasteurization system, and a homogenization process, which created a uniform and better taste by breaking down butterfat. The dairy also installed a vacuum treatment system to remove any flavor imperfections.
By the seventies, lifestyles had changed so that home deliveries ceased, so the dairy relied exclusively on retail sales. Having worked through decades of technological advances and the growth of his business, Alan Clark retired in 1977. Just a few years later, Milton Lambert retired in 1981.
Alice Lincoln began as a part-time bookkeeper years earlier and worked her way up in the company over time. When Lambert retired, the Lincoln family decided to buy the business.
“If it wasn’t a family business, we wouldn’t be here,” Alice explained.
Shortly after, the dairy expanded its business with the opening of the Houlton Farms Dairy Bars, the first in Presque Isle in 1983, then Caribou in 1987 and Houlton a year later. Another branch was opened in the Aroostook Centre Mall in Presque Isle in 2005 – the mall location is the only dairy bar that is open year-round. All the dairy bars serve Houlton Farms Dairy ice cream, which is produced at the Commonwealth Avenue location from Aroostook County product.
“At the dairy bar, we try to use the best quality products that we can find,” Mary noted.
The same is true throughout the Houlton Farms Dairy operation.
“We don’t buy for price, on ingredients; we buy for quality, and we try to put out a quality product,” Alice explained.
Today, Houlton Farms Dairy relies on three family owned and operated producers for its milk: Cowperthwaite Farms in Littleton, Lilley Farms in Smyrna, and Crane Farms in Hodgdon, all of which are within 13 miles of the dairy.
“We haven’t got a lot of miles on our milk,” Alice explained.
In the world of dairy, freshness and quality are inseparable.
“[The milk] is pasteurized here today and in the stores tomorrow,” Eric explained.
The quality and service behind Houlton Farms Dairy is very much a cooperative effort – from the Lincoln family, the dairy farmers and their families, all the dairy and dairy bar employees, and appreciative customers. The dairy started with a few simple products: milk, cream, and butter; today, Houlton Farms Dairy produces a variety of local favorites in addition to the classic three: sour cream, fresh half-and-half, ice cream, and even lemonade.
The dairy has continued and continues to upgrade and modernize their business, but although Houlton Farms Dairy has a history of embracing new technology, there are certain things the dairy hasn’t embraced. The dairy’s milk producers do not use any artificial growth hormone, and when asked if the dairy would ever use milk from cloned animals, Alice did not hesitate in her response: “Never!”
“The reason we’re still here is dedication from family members and the employees and the producers,” explained Alice, “We all work together as a team.”
The family owned nature of the business keeps the ownership in direct contact with milk producers, employees, retailers and customers.
“If we want to make a decision, we can make it today – we don’t have to have a board meeting,” Alice said, “We have board meetings all through the day here.”
The company had modest beginnings when Alan Clark founded the dairy in 1938. Just a few months after business began, Milton Lambert, Jr. took on what he thought would be a part-time job – but then stayed with the company for 43 years.
The operation began with six local dairy farmers selling their milk to the new dairy. In their small wooden building on Commonwealth Avenue, Clark and Lambert worked with hand-turned butter churn and a hand-operated bottle-filling machine and made morning and night deliveries. But over the next few years, Clark and Lambert were able to streamline their business, and even take their work week from seven down to six days a week.
In the early 1940s, the U.S. government opened Air Force bases in Presque Isle and Houlton, increasing the demand for Houlton Farm Dairy’s products. Around this time, the dairy built an addition to the original building and installed new equipment, including automatic fillers. Then, during World War II, Houlton Farms Dairy milk was flown from the Presque Isle Air Base overseas to American troops stationed in England.
Throughout the next several decades, the company continued to expand and evolve, and remained on the cutting edge of the dairy business. Houlton Farms Dairy was the first dairy in Aroostook County to pasteurize its milk – a process that kept milk fresh for up to two weeks. In 1956, the dairy began using milk cartons, and was one of the first dairies in Maine to discontinue glass bottles.
After a series of smaller additions in the forties and fifties, in the mid-sixties the steel-framed masonry building was constructed at the Commonwealth Avenue location, and the business continued to modernize. The dairy adopted a new high temperature, short-time pasteurization system, and a homogenization process, which created a uniform and better taste by breaking down butterfat. The dairy also installed a vacuum treatment system to remove any flavor imperfections.
By the seventies, lifestyles had changed so that home deliveries ceased, so the dairy relied exclusively on retail sales. Having worked through decades of technological advances and the growth of his business, Alan Clark retired in 1977. Just a few years later, Milton Lambert retired in 1981.
Alice Lincoln began as a part-time bookkeeper years earlier and worked her way up in the company over time. When Lambert retired, the Lincoln family decided to buy the business.
“If it wasn’t a family business, we wouldn’t be here,” Alice explained.
Shortly after, the dairy expanded its business with the opening of the Houlton Farms Dairy Bars, the first in Presque Isle in 1983, then Caribou in 1987 and Houlton a year later. Another branch was opened in the Aroostook Centre Mall in Presque Isle in 2005 – the mall location is the only dairy bar that is open year-round. All the dairy bars serve Houlton Farms Dairy ice cream, which is produced at the Commonwealth Avenue location from Aroostook County product.
“At the dairy bar, we try to use the best quality products that we can find,” Mary noted.
The same is true throughout the Houlton Farms Dairy operation.
“We don’t buy for price, on ingredients; we buy for quality, and we try to put out a quality product,” Alice explained.
Today, Houlton Farms Dairy relies on three family owned and operated producers for its milk: Cowperthwaite Farms in Littleton, Lilley Farms in Smyrna, and Crane Farms in Hodgdon, all of which are within 13 miles of the dairy.
“We haven’t got a lot of miles on our milk,” Alice explained.
In the world of dairy, freshness and quality are inseparable.
“[The milk] is pasteurized here today and in the stores tomorrow,” Eric explained.
The quality and service behind Houlton Farms Dairy is very much a cooperative effort – from the Lincoln family, the dairy farmers and their families, all the dairy and dairy bar employees, and appreciative customers. The dairy started with a few simple products: milk, cream, and butter; today, Houlton Farms Dairy produces a variety of local favorites in addition to the classic three: sour cream, fresh half-and-half, ice cream, and even lemonade.
The dairy has continued and continues to upgrade and modernize their business, but although Houlton Farms Dairy has a history of embracing new technology, there are certain things the dairy hasn’t embraced. The dairy’s milk producers do not use any artificial growth hormone, and when asked if the dairy would ever use milk from cloned animals, Alice did not hesitate in her response: “Never!”
