Stonyfield Farm

Stonyfield Farm, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Organic dairy products
Founded	1983
Founder	Samuel Kaymen
Fate	Acquired by Lactalis in 2017
Headquarters	Londonderry , United States
Area served	North America
Key people	Gary Hirshberg (former chairman and CEO)
Products	Organic dairy products, yogurt
Owner	Lactalis
Parent	Lactalis

Stonyfield Farm, Inc., commonly referred to as Stonyfield, is a company specializing in organic dairy products and yogurt, headquartered in Londonderry, New Hampshire, USA. Established in 1983 by Samuel Kaymen on a historic farmstead dating back to the 19th century in Wilton, New Hampshire, Stonyfield originally operated as an organic agricultural school. Today, it commands the second-largest portion of the organic yogurt market across North America, holding 13.3% market share.

Ownership of the company lies with Lactalis, a French-based multinational recognized as the largest dairy conglomerate worldwide.

History

In 2001, the French food corporation Groupe Danone, known for brands such as Evian and Danone/Dannon yogurt, purchased a 40% stake in Stonyfield and ultimately acquired full control by 2014.

Under the leadership of chairman and former CEO Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield implemented programs like Profits for the Planet, which allocates 10% of earnings toward environmental initiatives. The company obtains its milk supply from farmers in New England and the Midwest through the CROPP (Organic Valley) cooperative.

Stonyfield expanded its brand portfolio by acquiring Brown Cow yogurt in 2003. By 2006, it had entered international markets with Les 2 Vaches in France and commenced production in Quebec to serve Canadian consumers. In 2007, Stonyfield launched "Stony, Yogurt on a Mission" in the United Kingdom; although this brand was eventually discontinued, Glenisk emerged as its organic counterpart in Ireland.

On March 31, 2017, Groupe Danone declared its intention to divest Stonyfield to support its acquisition of U.S.-based organic food producer WhiteWave Foods. Subsequently, in July 2017, Danone agreed to transfer ownership of Stonyfield to Lactalis for $875 million. The deal was finalized later that year, placing Stonyfield under Lactalis' corporate umbrella.

Legal Issues

Leaked emails made public by WikiLeaks revealed that Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield's chairman, engaged with John Podesta, chair of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, advocating for mandatory labeling of genetically modified food. Hirshberg also mentioned raising $400,000 for Clinton’s campaign efforts.

Responding to regulatory demands aimed at lowering added sugar content in its products, Stonyfield announced plans in 2017 to cut added sugars in its yogurt offerings by 25%.

In January 2018, Stonyfield initiated an anti-GMO marketing campaign featuring children delivering scripted statements. Following backlash on Facebook, the company removed comments, blocked certain users, and designated critics as "trolls" allegedly violating platform policies.