Elmhurst Milked, from Elma, New York, participated in Food Export-Northeast’s 2023 Market Access Program-funded Branded Program to increase brand awareness for its non-dairy milk products. The supplier used the allocated funding to promote its products in Canada through trade magazine advertising, billboard promotions, product demonstrations, social media, retail promotions, and bilingual promotional sell sheets.
This month, Elmhurst Milked reported earning over $6.3 million in sales to the market with the assistance of Branded Program funding of the aforementioned tactics. They also shared that they gained 200 new foreign buyer contacts, established 7 new distributorships, and project to complete over $8.9 million in sales over the next twelve months.
In 2016, Henry Schwartz closed New York City’s last dairy company, Elmhurst. This historic company had been in his family for over 90 years since his father and uncle hand-bottled and delivered milk to Queens and Brooklyn in a truck full of ice blocks. Being that the business of old had ended, Henry was intrigued by a steady decline in dairy consumption and the changing American diet. More people were eating healthier, adopting plant-based alternatives, and becoming mindful of environmental impact. Henry began to see the possibility of evolving into a non-dairy company. But what did he know about plant milks? Then fate intervened. Henry had the chance to meet with Dr. Cheryl Mitchell, a famous plant food scientist, who was looking for a partner to help bring her revolutionary Hydro Release™ milling process to market. Using just water, Hydro Release separates the natural components of a grain, nut, or seed before reassembling them as a smooth, creamy beverage. The original ingredient’s nutrition is maintained, and no gums or emulsifiers are needed to hold the product together. Henry went all in on the plant-based revolution, partnering with Dr. Cheryl to bring her technology to market. Henry preserved the iconic name along with the year it first appeared on the streets of New York. Today, Elmhurst 1925 is the fastest-growing plant-based beverage company on the market!
Elmhurst Milked has participated in Food Exports programs since 2016 utilizing the Branded Program and the Online Product Catalog, attending Buyers Missions, Virtual Trade Missions, and webinars.
Food Export uses funding from the Market Access Program (MAP) to help America’s small businesses increase their exports of food and agricultural products. As these exports increase, these small businesses are creating jobs and improving the strength and stability of our agricultural economy. Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast are non-profit organizations that work in collaboration with their member state departments of agriculture and the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. They offer a wide range of programs and services that help boost America’s agricultural exports.
