The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-03-22
Creamery Industry,

Creamery Industry.
The creamery industry in Norfolk
will have the special care of new
corporation backed by Norfolk bust
ness men. The Norfolk Creamery
company, organized for the purpose of
bringing to Norfolk her proper share
of the creamery business of Nebraska.
is about to place it's business on
firm basis preparatory to future
growth. During the present month
the business will be installed in it's
on Norfolk avenue.
The appearance of this new industry
in Norfolk with every prospect for
a substantial growth carries with it
the retelling of the old story of the
old story of the natural advantages of
this city as a business and shipping
center of northeastern Nebraska and
the germ of the creamery business
once planted here could not help but
develop and call for public attention.
The Norfolk Creamery company
was born in the milk supply house
opened in this city by w. F. Petty in
December, 1905. Mr.. Petty secured
the small frame building opposite the
postoffice. He made a business of
buying milk and cream and retailing
it about the city. He started max
ing butter in small way He soon
had the opportunity of making more
butter than he had facilities to put
up. The business outgrew his estab-
lishment. 1t outgrew his capital. 1t
called for reorganization on a larger
business basis. Local business men
took hold of the scheme. They formed
a creamery company to take over the
business that had grown too big for
the city milk supply house with it's
limited resources.
The Norfolk Creamery company
was organized two months ago. The
capital stock was placed at $4,000
and papers were prepared to incorpor-
ate the new company under the state
laws. The company was hacked by
some of the mosts ubstantial business
men in Norfolk. It's list of officers is
as follows: President, j. w. Ran
som; vice-president, w. A. Witzigman;
secretary, George d. Butterfield; treas
urer, ID. c. Harrington. S. H. Ander-
son, who has had experience in the
creamery business, will act as gen.
eral manager for the house on the
road. w: F. Petty who pushed the
business from the start will be the
local manager of the plant. He has
had many years experience in the
business.
The Creamery company took over
the business of the milk supply COM
pany on January 7, 1907 From it's
present inadequate quarters it is sup
plying milk and cream to some $50
customers, making a thousand pounds
of butter week and giving employ
ment to five men.
The Witter building on Norfolk
avenue will be occupied by the cream
cry beginning probably a week from
Monday. Just now the building is
being thoroughly overhauled for it's
new use. An office room is being
arranged, a churning room is being
constructed in the basement and the
building as a whole is in preparation
for the new machinery to be installed.
The Norfolk Creamery company will
start out on the basis of the business
already built up during the past year
by the milk supply house. 1t will
probably start by making some 1900
pounds of butter a week, with a capa-
city for at least 1000 pounds a day.
Cream is already shipped to Norfolk
from as far north as Bonesteel. The
new creamery will offer a market for
cream that can be supplied from
score or so of counties adjacent to
Norfolk. There is an unlimited mar
ket for butter. After supplying the
demand in this territory, large sup
plies of butter can be sent profitably
east to Chicago or west to the coast.
The capacity of the local creamery
will be whatever the business will
make it. Judging from the experience
of towns like Columbus, it is possible
to safely predict that within three
years the Norfolk creamery will be
turning out more than five or six
thousand pounds of butter a day and
giving employment to perhaps score
of men.
Norfolk has not had a creamery
since the Harding Creamery company
moved to Omaha seven years ago.
At that time there was a tendency to
concentrate the creamery business in
the large centers. With the coming
of the cream separators now in nearly
every farm home, it is no longer neces-
sary to maintain expensive separating
stations at shipping points. This is
one factor working to the advantage
of the smaller towns. Norfolk's To-
cation as a shipping center in the