Editor's Note: The following story about Burger Dairy is part of a series on local dairy history in honor of Indiana's bicentennial.
Although Burger Dairy has been closed for more than a decade, the brand name still has a loyal following.
Thirteen years after it was shut down, Burger Dairy signs can still be seen hanging outside convenience stores, ice cream parlors and even an Elkhart County barn.
Larry and Mary Kirkdorffer of New Paris are among those who remember Burger Dairy in its heyday. Larry was a longtime milk hauler for Burger Dairy, and both he and Mary have amassed a collection of memorabilia, such as toys, milk and ice cream cartons, and other odds and ends. But their most prized possessions are two large signs that were once displayed at Burger Dairy stores in Elkhart County. Both signs now are displayed proudly at the Kirkdorffer farm on C.R. 19, south of New Paris.
The oldest sign, measuring 10-by-8 feet, dates to 1954 and is mounted on the side of their barn. It originally was displayed at a Burger Dairy store located on the south side of Elkhart along U.S. 33. Mary purchased it at a consignment auction in Shipshewana. She had the sign framed and equipped with LED lighting for night-time display.
A second sign, purchased at a sale near Ligonier, originally hung outside of a Burger Dairy store on S.R. 15 on the north side of Go-shen. The sign features the famous Burger Dairy tear drop with a smile. Larry says this was a later de-sign, probably from the 1960s. It also lights up at night.
According to Larry, the family's connection to Burger Dairy goes back several decades.
"Burger Dairy has been in our family ever since I was a kid," Larry said.
He started hauling milk for Burger Dairy in 1955, just after graduating from high school. Both his father, Marlond, and his uncle, Theron Kirkdorffer, were also milk haulers for the company. Theron was a Burger Dairy hauler during the Depression years. Marlond started hauling in 1943.
Before the days of modern tankers, milk was trans-ported from the farms to the milk plant in 100-pound cans. Haulers lifted these cans at least three times every day, loading and unloading them. It was a lot of hard work.
A typical truck might carry only 5,000 or 6,000 pounds of milk per load, Larry said. Today, tankers can carry up to 60,000 pounds.
Starting in 1919 as a producer cooperative, the company was first known as New Paris Cooperative Creamery and produced butter and dry powder. Ten years later, the company reor-ganized. Jim Burger served as general manager for 30 years and presided over the company's expansion into milk processing and other lines in the early 1950s.
In the 1940s, Burger Dairy purchased milk from 1,047 farmers with 30 milk routes. By the mid-1980s, Burger Dairy was buying milk from just 190 farmers with nine routes.
Kirkdorffer said Burger Dairy milk routes were valua-ble. Whenever one came up for sale, it was usually purchased very quickly.
In its early years, Burger Dairy developed a national reputation for producing quality dairy products. According to the 1946 National Butter and Cheese Journal, Burger Dairy marketed its cream to large eastern markets "and bringing an extra price because of its high quality, which meets the requirements of the most discriminating buyers. Likewise, their dry milk is of unusually high quality, all of it being extra grade."
Burger Dairy added to that reputation through the years, winning over custom-ers because of its exceptional quality.
As a consumer, Kirkdorffer said he became a fan of Burger Dairy ice cream.
"They just had a good formula," he said.
Mary added, "It was the best around."
Under Jim Burger's leadership, Burger Dairy pioneered the convenience store concept to sell milk and ice cream. The first store opened in 1953 in Goshen, becoming the first of over 70 Burger Dairy stores in northern Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
Burger was the manager for 20 years, starting in 1934. An account of the company's history, published in the New Paris sesquicentennial publication, noted that Burger "had a quick smile, a keen mind, a vision for the future and the ability to make the correct major decisions. Paul Devine joined the company in 1952 as plant manager and was Jim's right hand man."
According to the sesquicentennial book, Devine took over as plant manager after Burger's sudden death in 1963 and "did a superb job" until his retirement in 1980.
Prior to the 1950s and the introduction of Burger Dairy stores, most local dairies deliv-ered milk products to their customers' homes. A delivery man would drop off a quart or two of milk, but never anything larger. Burger Dairy was the first to sell milk in gallon jugs.
As Burger Dairy stores sprouted up in local towns, many of its competitors gradually lost customers. Home deliv-eries faded away as people began buying milk and ice cream from stores instead of waiting for home deliveries.
From its base in New Paris, Burger Dairy delivered fresh dairy products to stores within a 100-mile radius. The convenience stores surged in popularity. The company enjoyed a close relationship with farmers, with its contract haulers and delivery drivers.
Burger Dairy became one of the largest milk processors in Indiana, but its success did not last forever. Jim Burger's son, Bob Burger, sold the business in 1987 to Finevest Foods. He also sold off the chain of convenience stores.
During the 1980s through 2001, Burger Dairy was sold four more times. The last owner, National Dairy Holdings, closed the plant in 2003.
Even though Burger Dairy is no longer a play-er in the dairy industry, Larry and Mary Kirkdorffer remember the company, and its leaders, for pio-neering new marketing ideas and producing quality products. Those leaders, including Jim Burger and Paul Devine, gave meaning to the Burger Dairy brand, which is still cherished by many loyal customers today.