Lewes Dairy and Hy-Point Dairy talk merger

Delaware’s last family-owned dairy processing plants, Lewes Dairy and Hy-Point in Wilmington are negotiating a possible merger.

Chip Brittingham, Lewes Dairy president, on Oct. 5, confirmed that the companies are discussing consolidation.

“We’re working along those lines, and I hope in the next week or so to have some positive answers,” Brittingham said.

Brittingham said both operations are small; Hy-Point’s is somewhat larger, and there is crossover in the markets they serve.

He said if there is a merger, the Lewes Dairy brand would continue to exist.

“We’re always going to have Lewes Dairy products. Nothing is written in stone yet,” Brittingham said.

Information about Lewes Dairy on the company’s internet site show the company processes 30,000 gallons of milk a week, most of it obtained from independent farmers in Sussex County.

The company distributes products throughout Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Lewes Dairy is well-known for its eggnog, bottled between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, and its fresh, heavy cream, which is used in homes and by chefs and cooks throughout the region.

The company also produces iced tea, lemonade, fruit punch, orange and grape-flavored beverages.

Lewes Dairy and Hy-Point Dairy are the only remaining family-owned dairy production facilities in a state where there were once dozens of companies.

Started in the early 1920s by Grace and Emory Brittingham, the company had a couple hundred acres, a herd of Guernsey cows and the couple’s six sons and one daughter.

Unprocessed milk was cooled using water and the product was hand-poured into bottles using a pitcher.

Milk was delivered using the family car.

In the 1930s the company switched to a refrigeration cooling system and used pasteurization to eliminate bacteria. After Emory died in 1933, Grace ran the business until 1942 when two of the five sons who had helped operate the business went to serve in World War II. During the war, business was put on hold but the operation picked up again upon the sons’ return.

Having survived both the Great Depression and the war, brothers Archie, Weldon and Bassett built a new plant in Lewes and reopened in July 1946.

In 1955 the company introduced the 73-cent glass, gallon jug of milk and house-to-house delivery.

In the 1950s the company ceased home delivery and began using tractor-trailers to deliver to dairy market chain stores and mom-and-pop operations.

The dairy purchased milk from local farmers and fought to keep profits in the hands of farmers.

In 1963 Archie’s son, Chip, bought into the firm and has served as president for several years.

Today, the plant processes a million pounds of milk a month. For years the company has used the motto ‘Buy It By the Gallon.’

Information on the internet shows the Meany family owns Hy-Point Dairy, which was started in 1919 by John A. Meany and Elizabeth Spahn Meany.

The company’s products are sold in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In addition to liquid dairy products, the company produces ice cream, juices and drinks.

Today, third- and fourth-generation Meany family members operate the business. At press time, calls for comment from Hy-Point officials about a possible merger with Lewes Dairy were not returned.