Dairy Products

Missouri boasts more than 2,500 dairy farm operations, and several companies offer milk, cheese and butter products in the area. They range from local companies, such as Memory Lane Dairy and Morningland Dairy, and regional companies based in this area, such as Hiland Dairy, to national companies with a major local presence such as Chicago-based Kraft Foods, which this year reported 980 employees at its Springfield plant, producing cream cheese, processed cheese and macaroni and cheese. Denise and Joseph Dixon bought Morningland Dairy near Mountain View in October from Margie and Jim Reiners. Denise Dixon said demand has steadily increased for products such as the raw-milk cheese her company and its six employees produce. “We have people call and ask a lot of questions about how it’s made and how high it’s heated,” Dixon said of the raw-milk cheese, which is thought to possess more nutrients than cheese made from pasteurized milk. “There’s definitely interest – people are calling because of their health problems or their children’s or grandchildren’s health problems.”

Representative products
• Milk
• Cheese
• Butter
• Powdered milk products

Local companies
• Kraft Foods, Springfield
• Hiland Dairy, Springfield
• Morningland Dairy, Mountain View
• Memory Lane Dairy, Fordland

Statewide employment numbers(as of second quarter 2008)
Dairy product manufacturing – 4,713

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Candy, Chocolate and Nuts

Those looking for an after-dinner treat can stay local with selections from Springfield-based Askinosie Chocolate and Joplin’s Candy House Gourmet Chocolates. There are also black walnut products from Hammons Products in Stockton or peanut butter from Hallam’s Inc. in Ozark. Askinosie Chocolate founder Shawn Askinosie said the success of his Commercial Street company is due in large part to Springfield’s central location; his cocoa bean suppliers send shipments into the United States through several major ports, from California to Texas to New York. “We’re not just a manufacturer – we’re an importer of raw material,” Askinosie said. “We import cocoa beans from around the world, and they reach ports around the country depending on where the beans are located. It’s not only beneficial but critical for transportation costs for us to be where we are in the middle of the United States.”

Representative products
• Chocolate
• Candy
• Nuts
• Nut butter
• Nut and seed oils

Local companies
• Candy House Gourmet Chocolates, Joplin
• Askinosie Chocolate, Springfield
• Hammons Products Co., Stockton
• Hallam’s Inc., Ozark

Statewide employment numbers(as of second quarter 2008)
Sugar and confectionary products – 466

Source: Missouri Economic Research and Information Center

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Canned and Frozen Vegetables

A wide array of produce is available in the area, with local farms producing everything from berries and apples to tomatoes, peppers and beans. Several Ozarks manufacturers also fill that need for consumers. Formerly J.L. DeGraΩenreid & Sons LLC, Bay Valley Foods is a subsidiary of Westchester, Ill.-based Tree Valley Foods. The company has an operation near Partnership Industrial Center in Springfield that produces pickles and relishes locally for restaurants and chain stores. Springfield plant manager Peggy Henry said her company and its approximately 100 local employees rely on the agriculture industry in southwest Missouri. “One of the advantages of being located where we are is our crop. We have our own local crop in Lockwood and Lamar, and that is a big advantage,” she said, noting that Bay Valley’s own farming operations produce between 8,000 and 12,000 acres of cucumbers each year for the company’s pickles.

Representative products
• Canned, jarred and frozen fruits
• Vegetables
• Pickles and relish

Local companies
• Galena Canning Co., Galena
• Ozark Pickle Pantry, Camdenton
• Bay Valley Foods, Springfield

Statewide employment numbers(as of second quarter 2008)
Fruit and vegetable preserving – 1,854

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Meat Packing and Processing

While the southwest Missouri meat-processing industry took a hit in March 2008 with the sale and subsequent closing of two Willow Brook turkey processing plants in Springfield – and the loss of 800 jobs at those two facilities – the area still boasts myriad meat companies. Thomas Frickenschmidt, general manager of the 12 employees at Lockwood-based Frickenschmidt Foods and Lockwood Packing Co., said the large number of beef and pork farmers in the area offer an easy source of raw product with which to work. Missouri has the second-highest number of beef cows in the United States, according to the Missouri Agricultural Statistics Services. “The trend of consuming locally raised beef is growing,” he said. “Everyone wants to know where their food comes from, and they want to make sure it has no antibiotics or hormones. If we were closer to a big city, the local farms wouldn’t be as big a source.”

Representative products
• Processed meats
• Sausage
• Poultry
• Beef
• Pork products

Local companies
• Cloud’s Meats, Carthage
• Madewell Meats, Mount Vernon
• Frickenschmidt Foods/Lockwood Packing Co., Lockwood
• Heritage Acres Foods, Pleasant Hope

Statewide employment numbers(as of second quarter 2008)
Animal slaughtering and processing – 17,415

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Canned and Bottled Food Products

Numerous companies in southwest Missouri produce a variety of prepared bottled products, from sauces to salad dressings to condiments. One of the most well-known is Carthage-based Ott Food Products, which has been making its famous Ott’s salad dressing since the mid-1940s. Ott Sales and Marketing Manager Dustin Larsen said the 20-person company has no intention of moving from its relatively out-of-the-way location, even though there are many who still don’t realize where the company is based. “You have a lot of people moving to this area, so you get a lot of people that don’t realize that Ott is a southwest Missouri company,” Larsen said. “On the other hand, you get people who have been here forever and they still don’t realize we’re a local company. That’s something we’re continuing to work on.”

Representative products
• Salad dressing
• Sauces
• Condiments

Local companies
• Ott Food Products, Carthage
• Honey Heaven,Springfield
• Ozark CountrySorghum, Dunnegan
• Reckitt Benckiser, Springfield

Statewide employment numbers(as of second quarter 2008)
Other food manufacturing – 3,004

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Ozarks Edibles: Food products made in southwest Missouri

Posted online August 5, 2017 | 11:06 pm

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Ozarks Edibles: Food products made in southwest Missouri

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