The L.V. Gridley Dairy Co. was incorporated in 1898 by Leander V. Gridley. In 1903,
John Le Feber, who had been working for a small dairy run by Charles Cupples, got
together a number of smaller dairies, including the L.V. Gridley Dairy Co. to form
the Gridley Dairy Co. The L.V. Gridley Dairy Co. gave way to the new Gridley Dairy
Company. Gridley was among the first milk companies to use glass bottles. They also
led in pasteurization, experimenting with it as early as 1898 and having the entire
milk operation pasteurized by 1903. At one time Gridley was the largest milk dealer
in Milwaukee. In 1928, it was announced that Borden Co. had acquired the Gridley
Dairy Co., and that it would continue as a division of Borden. In 1943 the company
was known as the Gridley Dairy Division of the Borden Co. By 1948 all references to
the original company’s name had been dropped.
