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| Mat Maid's History In a state as young as Alaska, which achieved statehood in 1959, it is unusual for companies to have a track record of more than 50 years, that is why the success of the Matanuska Maid brand is so remarkable. It all began in 1935 when the Alaska Rural Rehabilitation Corporation moved 202 families from the economically depressed Midwest to south central Alaska in the wilderness of the lush Matanuska Valley. This hardy group of pioneers accepted the federal government's offer of 40 acre homesteads land and proceeded to build what was to be known as the "colony." SINCE 1936 In 1936 the Matanuska Valley Farmer's Cooperative Association was formed to process the milk and produce coming from the Valley farms. The name “Matanuska Maid," was born during a contest in the winter of 1935-36. The winner, Dorthy Sheely, a local high school student, received $25 for her entry, a design featuring the name Matanuska Maid and a drawing of a skater. The name and graphic remain to this day, although they have gone through several updates. Back to top GROWING WITH ALASKA By 1940, the year that bottled milk was first sold to the residents of nearby Anchorage, the creamery operation was processing 7,000 pounds of fresh milk daily. In 1964 a new creamery opened in Anchorage to meet growing demand. Today, Matanuska Maid is Alaska's largest local dairy serving a market of more than 550,000 throughout Alaska. Current production is in the neighborhood of 120,000 pounds of fresh milk daily. The raw product comes from dairy farms in the Matanuska Valley and Pacific Northwest. The creamery's impact on the economy of Alaska is substantial, creating hundreds of direct jobs within Matanuska Maid and its family of distributors, as well as supporting hundreds of additional jobs in the dairy and other food service industries statewide. Back to top CHANGING WITH CONSUMER TASTES Matanuska Maid, like other modern creamery operations around the country, is responding to changing dietary habits that are causing a shift in demand from traditional dairy products to a wider selection of new, healthful beverages. The result is fierce competition among beverage manufacturers, which is why Matanuska Maid is pursuing a new diversity of product offerings. In 1995, Golden 100 Orange Juice debuted to meet a preference in Alaska for "ready-made," not frozen orange juice. Another new product, Glacier Yo, introduced in 1996, represents a totally new marketing direction for Matanuska Maid...the export market. In addition to these new and innovative products, the Matanuska Maid product line includes a wide variety of milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream, whipping cream, half & half, buttermilk, and eggnog. These items are sold throughout the state in major grocery outlets, military commissaries, and convenience stores. |
 Our Logo Then  Our Logo Now  Recognizing Seventy Years of Quality  Mat Maid vintage bottled milk  Mat Maid vintage vanilla ice cream  Mat Maid vintage milk cartons |
| PACKAGING Another mark of Matanuska Maid's leadership role as an Alaskan manufacturer is the local creation of production that would be too expensive to ship in from the lower 48. Matanuska Maid produces plastic gallon jugs used for both milk and water products at their mold injection facility located in Palmer, Alaska. This capability has opened opportunities for supplying custom packaging for other Alaskan companies. Matanuska Maid is a company that takes its success very seriously. Strategies are in place that will help the company make the transition from creamery into beverage company. With that change, Matanuska Maid is eagerly looking forward to another 70 years of serving an expanding marketplace. Back to top |
 Our Packaging Then  Our Packaging Now |