On January 2, 1911, The Challenge Cream & Butter Company opened for business in a rented storeroom in Los Angeles to sell the products of cooperative creamery associations in Riverdale and Tulare. The staff consisted of a manager, assistant manager, bookkeeper, and delivery salesman. Four people. The new company owned a wagon but had to rent a horse to pull it.
By refusing to sell any butter that did not meet the highest standards, Challenge built a reputation for quality throughout the Western States.
There’s growing consumer awareness and demand for natural products, and that’s fine with us. We’ve been 100% natural from the beginning.
There’s growing consumer awareness and demand for natural products, and that’s fine with us. We’ve been 100% natural from the beginning.
Challenge Dairy Products, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary with California Dairies, Inc., (CDI) and represents over 300 dairy farm families.
Legend has it the company name “Challenge” was selected by the first President of Challenge Cream and Butter Association, J.P. Murphy. Over dinner, he studied a mural on the wall that showed two elk coming together to spar for the position of “king of the forest.” Under this mural were the words, “The Challenge.” At the time, Mr. Murphy felt that this was exactly what he and the dairymen he represented were trying to accomplish. They were challenging the other dairy organizations with a product that was known for its quality.
At Challenge Butter, we’ve been churning quality butter for over 100 years. As a cooperative of family-owned farms, sustainability isn’t just an initiative—it’s a tradition.
