HP Hood
| File:HP Hood logo.svg | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 1846 Derry, New Hampshire, United States |
| Founder | Harvey Perley Hood |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | United States and International Locations |
Key people | Gary Kaneb (president) |
| Products | Dairy |
| Revenue | $3.5 billion |
| Owner | The Kaneb Family |
Number of employees | More than 3,400 |
| Website | hphood |
HP Hood LLC is a U.S.-based dairy enterprise with its headquarters in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. Established in 1846 by Harvey Perley Hood in Derry, New Hampshire, the firm quickly extended operations to Charlestown, Massachusetts. Through a series of acquisitions, Hood has broadened its reach from its New England origins to a national scale. Presently, the company reports annual revenues near $3.2 billion and employs in excess of 3,400 individuals.
Between 1980 and 1995, ownership of HP Hood rested with Agway before it was acquired by the Kaneb Family. It continues as a privately owned entity and was ranked #216 on Forbes' 2018 list of "America's Largest Private Companies."
History
In 1984, HP Hood pioneered the introduction of Lactaid-branded milk to the New England region under a licensing agreement with entrepreneur Alan Kligerman. By 1987, the company had launched Hood Light, a low-fat ice milk product, marking its expansion into national markets.
Following Kligerman’s 1991 licensing of Lactaid to Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Consumer Healthcare, HP Hood became the designated Lactaid milk supplier for the East Coast. In 2001, it secured the contract to supply Lactaid milk across the entire United States. By 2004, Lactaid had emerged as the top-selling milk brand nationwide.
Hood’s strategic acquisitions further extended its market presence: Crowley Foods (Binghamton, NY) and Kemps (St. Paul, MN) in 2004; Crystal Cream and Butter Company (Sacramento, CA) briefly in 2007; followed by Brigham's Ice Cream (Arlington, MA) in 2008. These transactions expanded Hood’s footprint well beyond New England and New York into broader U.S. territories.
In 2017, HP Hood acquired a former Muller Quaker manufacturing facility located in Batavia, New York. The purchase of land in Greenville, Texas in 2022 indicates plans for additional capacity growth and business development.
Current brands
- Hood
- Crowley Foods
- Heluva Good!
- Axelrod Foods
- Booth Brothers Dairy
- Green's Ice Cream
- Brigham's Ice Cream
- Hagan Ice Cream
- Planet Oat
- La Terra Fina
- Lactaid (brand owned by McNeil Nutritionals, LLC and produced by HP Hood since 1984)
- Blue Diamond Almond Breeze (a brand of Blue Diamond Growers manufactured by HP Hood since 2008)
- Southern Comfort Eggnog
Former brands
- Kemps (divested to Dairy Farmers of America in 2011)
- Rosenberger's Dairy (sold to Balford Farms in 2014)
- Rosenberger's Dairy Wagon
- Penn Maid Foods (discontinued at the conclusion of 2023)
Iconography
HP Hood is recognized as a prominent New England institution; its former Charlestown facility’s chimney emblazoned with "Hoods Milk" remains a notable regional landmark. The site spans approximately 20 acres and is undergoing transformation into "Hood Park," a mixed-use residential and commercial development.
Around 1960, the company initiated the Hood Samaritan highway safety campaign, which was later adopted by CVS Pharmacy.
At Boston Children's Museum, an outdoor ice cream kiosk designed as an oversized Hood Milk Bottle underscores the brand’s cultural significance. The Hood blimp regularly appears at sporting events such as Red Sox games and at cultural gatherings including the Eastern States Exposition. It gained media attention after crashing near Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts in 2006.
The Hoodsie cup, a small cardboard container for ice cream, has become an iconic product associated with Boston-area culture and vernacular.
In legal history, the Supreme Court case H.P. Hood & Sons v. Du Mond resulted in a ruling favoring Hood by restricting states’ ability to impose limitations on interstate commerce, thereby supporting the company’s operational expansion.
Additionally, HP Hood’s logo inspired the well-known Phish song "Harry Hood."
See also
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- Businesses located in Lynnfield, Massachusetts
- Dairy product manufacturers in the United States
- Enterprises created through management buyouts
- Privately owned Massachusetts companies
- American firms founded in 1846
- 1846 establishments in Massachusetts
- 4
- American companies established in 1846
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment