Our History

1930

1933- At the height of the depression, native Syracusan Matthew V. Byrne started bottling and delivering high quality milk to local families. People could stand on the sidewalk and actually watch Byrne milk being processed and bottled through the building’s large glass windows.

1937- Byrne Dairy horses and their neat yellow and brown wagons became a sight on city streets. Eight horses pulled wagons along Byrne’s milk routes, and were so familiar their customers knew them by name.

1940

1941- Motor trucks are introduced to several home delivery routes, and by the end of the decade, replace the wagons.

1946- Bottling operations are moved from W. Genesse St., a familiar downtown sight with its unique triangular shape, to a larger plant on Oneida St. in Syracuse . Byrne Dairy still manufactures its fresh dairy products at the same location.

1946- Matt Byrne turned the family dairy business over to three of his sons- John M. (Jack) was appointed President, William M. (Bill) Byrne was Vice President and C. Vincent (Vin) was secretary.

1950

1952- “Molly,” a ten-year-old strawberry roan, retired as the very last horse to pull a milk wagon in the city. A local tradition for years, the horses were well-loved by thousands of neighborhood children. One mother told the story of how she couldn’t put her child down for a nap each day until Molly had passed by on her route.

1956- Central New Yorkers start humming a catchy new jingle- “Byrne Dairy Milk is Mighty Fine…” The slogan began appearing on milk bottles and other packages.

1957- The first Bulk Milk Tanker is purchased to pick milk up directly from the farms.

1970

1977- Modern food merchandising coupled with the mobile lifestyle of the times brought the end of home deliveries

1977- Byrne Dairy undertakes a major expansion of it’s product line by developing its own line of quality ice creams. This addition expands the business dramatically.

1980

1988- The main processing plant undergoes extensive expansion and modernization to meet growing customer demand. The expansion ultimately increases the company’s milk production capabilities by 25%, enabling Byrne to manufacture its own plastic bottles

1990

1997- A new 32,000 sq. ft. high turnover cooler was added at the Oneida St. Plant.

2000

2004- Byrne Dairy opens its Ultra Dairy- a new 40,000 sq. ft. Ultra Pasteurization manufacturing plant- in East Syracuse, NY. It is one of the very few independent family-owned and managed dairies to build an Ultra High Temperature (UHT) plant for extended shelf life production.

2009- Byrne Dairy invests $28 million to expand its Ultra Dairy plant production as well as its technological capabilities. The expansion includes commissioning a new Sidel Predis PET single serve line for milks and creams with a 140 day shelf code.

2012- Byrne Dairy announces its plans to build a 75,000 sq. ft. Yoghurt Plant and Agri-tourism Park in Cortlandville, N.Y.

2014- Byrne Dairy celebrates the opening of its cultured manufacturing plant located in the Town of Cortlandville, N.Y. on a former dairy farm. The facility, includes state of the art processing, filling, and packaging equipment, as well as a viewing mezzanine to allow future visitors to see the entire manufacturing process. Byrne Dairy will produce Greek and conventional style yoghurts as well as sour cream at the facility.

2014- In addition to producing yoghurt for retailers under their private labels, Byrne Dairy launched it’s own Byrne Hollow Farm Brand.