Made in Tennessee: Bongards Creameries

HUMBOLDT, TN (WNBJ) - Our Made in Tennessee highlights a creamery in Gibson county.

This week’s Made in Tennessee is spotlighting Bongards Creameries in Humboldt, Tennessee where they ship out 300,000 to 400,000 pounds of cheese every day.

“Bongards is very, very pleased to be in Tennessee. We got a great workforce. We are strategically located to a lot of our customers, and we look to continue to grow,” said Daryl Larson, the CEO of Bongards Creameries.

Bongards Creameries is a cheese manufacturer that has humble beginnings.

“In 1908, a group of farmers met in a small unincorporated town of Bongards, Minnesota trying to come up with a better market for their milk. They were all dairy farmers and they elected to form a co-op way back then. The company has remained a corporative owned by dairy farmers since 1908,” said Larson.

Since its inception, the creamery has experienced a lot of growth and they talk about their most popular product.

“Our American cheese slices are among the most popular. We make those in our Humboldt plant, and we make those in our Bongards, Minnesota plant as well. That is our highest volume item. It is used a lot in quick-service restaurants. It’s used in other food services applications,” said Larson.

The human resources manager at Bongards says they always look for ways to positively impact the community by giving back.

“We look for opportunities maybe with some food shelters or with churches. If they are aware with who may have some needs to be able to donate product,” said Jeffrey Gaston, the HR Manager at Bongards Creameries.

Bongards Creameries is located at 3001 Us Highway 45 Bypass West in Humboldt, TN.