Prairie Farms Dairy Acquires SmithFoods of Orrville, Ohio

Oct. 4, 2024

Acquisition was an “easy decision” that expands Prairie Farms’ footprint in Ohio, the company said.

Prairie Farms Dairy has acquired the SmithFoods manufacturing facilities in Orrville, Ohio, according to a release from the Edwardsville, Ill.-based dairy cooperative. SmithFoods was founded in 1909 and has been family-owned since.

Matt McClelland, CEO/EVP of Prairie Farms Dairy welcomed SmithFoods’ employees and customers to the fold, and he called the acquisition “an easy decision because the Orrville facilities complement our network of dairy plants and expand our Ohio footprint.”

The change is effective immediately, the release noted, and the companies expect a seamless transition with no disruption to manufacturing, delivery or other operations. SmithFoods joins Prairie Farms’ network of more than 600 farm families, 7,000 employees and 47 manufacturing plants, producing milk, cheese and cultured dairy products for a wide variety of retail and foodservice channels in the Midwest and South.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.