Berkeley Farms history

Around 1920, they expanded to a new location at 58th & Adeline in North Oakland.

By 1940, the operation had grown to a 40-person operation with 28 delivery routes.

After opening in 1947, the new plant immediately began processing over 10,000 gallons of milk per day.

The family-run business thrived in Emeryville under the leadership of John Sabatte’s five sons, who took over for their father in 1954.

In 1955, the company operated branch distribution centers in Hayward, San Mateo, and Walnut Creek.

The South Berkeley Creamery became Berkeley Farms in 1956.

The company hired James Plessas, Inc. in 1965 to develop advertising for the company.

By 1967, the decline in home delivery milk sales caused the Sabattes to call a meeting of family members involved in the business, including several grandchildren of the founder, to chart the future of Berkeley Farms.

In 1975, Berkeley Farms began operations of a dairy cattle ranch in Firebaugh in San Joaquin Valley, managed and partly owned by Sabatte granddaughter Michelle.

By 1986, Berkeley Farms listed at number 58 of the top 100 private companies in the San Francisco Bay area, recording $98 million in revenues the previous year.

By 1989 Berkeley Farms had grown to a $115 million company.

In 1990, a group of Wisconsin investors purchased Bud's Ice Cream, then in bankruptcy.

In 1993, Bud’s introduced Mocha Bean Crunch ice cream, a coffee flavored ice cream with chocolate-covered coffee beans, as its signature product.

In 1998 Berkeley Farms was acquired by Texas-based Food conglomerate Dean Foods putting an end to their family-run business status.

By 1999 they had left Emeryville entirely.