VI. Oakhurst Dairy

This is me at the Oakhurst Dairy on Forest Ave in Portland. When I went over from school on December 10th, there were people walkibng by but it seemed that no one really noticed the building. There were a lot of cars parked there and a truck coming out carrying the milk but otherwise, it didn't seem that anyone really noticed it. I hadn't noticed it for the longest time either. I knew it existed but I'd never really looked at it.

The Oakhurst Dairy has been on Forest Ave in Portland since 1921 when Stanley Bennett moved his newly bough Dairy from Woodfords street in Portland. Though the Dairy only started with two horse drawn wagons, it quickly started to grow into a prominent dairy in the area. In 1973, the plant extended into the building next door that used to be an auto-dealership. In this photo from 1951 on Maine Memory Network, you can see where the dealership used to be and where Oakhurst has expanded.

Here is a photo of the new and old forms of milk transport. Other than being the premier Dairy in Maine since the 1920s, Oakhurst has also been a leader in the community. In 1997 "Oakhurst becomes the first major dairy company in the U.S. to provide a financial incentive to it's dairy farmers to abstain from using artificial growth hormone and the first to package its milk with a Farmers' Pledge (no growth hormone) seal." (Oakhurst website). They funded the boys and girls clubs of Maine and new Hampshire, helping to raise 100,000 dollars for 27 locations in the two states. By 2006, "90% of Oakhurst's truck fleet converts to bio-diesel fuel, reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 1,332 tons per year, making Oakhurst the nation's largest bio-diesel dairy fleet." (Oakhurst website) And, in 2008, "Oakhurst invests in energy future by placing 72 solar collectors on site, offsetting 4,400 gallons of #2 fuel oil annually." (Oakhurst website).

The Oakhurst Dairy in Portland is a huge part of our community history in Maine. Not only do we rely on them to give us the quality milk we look for but they also lead us in what Maine is known for: being first in environmental policies.