Souris Valley Creamery Ltd.- Grundeens

Souris Valley Creamery Ltd.

Souris Valley Creamery 1914 Board of Trade Booklet

Started in Sept. 1912, by Mr. Ben Grundeen, and a partner J. L. Munson from Minnesota.
Estevan board of trade invited Grundeen to Estevan.
Apr 1913 the Butter Plant was in operation.
Early 1914 Munson quit, and S. G. Gustafson became his partner for only 2 months.
Mr. Ben Grundeen was a Gold Medal Winner in Butter Making, in the State of Minnesota.
ca Sept 28, 1912 he closed negotiations with the city, for the purchase of the lot on 5th st, where he built his plant.
Sewage and Water connections were being made to the property, and the basement was coming in a few days.

Bernard “Ben” Frederick Grundeen
b- 1887, Cokato, Wright Co., MN, USA
d- Feb 25, 1940, at Bro-Menn Regional Medical Center, Normal, IL, age 52
buried in Estevan City Cemetery
son of Lars and Mary Grundeen
married Ida Caroline Setterlund in 1905
b- May 23, 1885
d- Apr 1, 1947, age 61
buried in Estevan City Cemetery
1922 they lived at 1101 2nd st.

5 daughters and 1 son:

1. Gladys Violet Grundeen
b- Feb 11, 1907, at Murdock Minn, USA
d- Nov 13, 2002, age 95
burial of ashes at Park Hill Cemetery, Bloomington, Illinois
married C. Oscar Anderson, Nov 11, 1933
He died July 30, 1964
they had 2 sons

2. Blanche Grundeen
b-
d- Jan 1968
married Harvey Houde
she had one son

3. Paul L. Grundeen
b- 1910
d- Dec 17, 1988
buried in Souris Valley Memorial Gardens in Estevan
married LaYvonne Claire Good
b- February 15, 1919 in Noonan, ND.
d- November 10, 2010, in Estevan SK., age 91
buried in Souris Valley Memorial Gardens in Estevan
daughter of Floyd and Mae Good.

Paul became President and Manager of the Creamery after his father retired.
They had a son and daughter Paul's son, Brian Grundeen, ran a Gourmet Ice Cream Company in Saskatoon SK, in the 1990's, called Grundeen Brand.

4. Lillian Viola Grundeen
b- Dec 24, 1911
d- Jan 16, 1967
buried in Souris Valley Memorial Gardens in Estevan
married Maurice King
buried in Souris Valley Memorial Gardens in Estevan
they had 2 daughters and one son

5. Pearl F. Grundeen
b- 1914
d- May 12, 1914
buried in Estevan City Cemetery

6. Evylene Bernice Grundeen
b- Sept 4, 1915 in Estevan
d- Sept 14, 2003 at Estevan
buried in Souris Valley Memorial Gardens in Estevan
married James Neville “Jim” Dyer
she had a son and a daughter

sold “Sovacry Butter” and “Sovacry Ice Cream” as well as a full line of dairy products.
Started ca 1913
ca 1926 they paid out $155,000 to farmers for cream.
a Rail carload was being shipped every 10 days
Read one article they shipped a carload of butter to Washington State.

This July 14, 1944 Souris Valley Creamery Receipt for Cream,
This is typical of farmers years ago, selling cream to the Creamery, to make ends meet.
Most of the milk was kept for personal consumption, and some cream, but any surplus, was sold for those few extras we received.

Souris Valley Creamery used to deliver milk door to door in Estevan in 50's and early 60's
The small green plastic coupons were used to pay for a qt of 2% milk.
Everyone had a milk door on their house, and would leave coupons instead of money for the milkman. Imagine doing that today!
The 3 tabs at the bottom are actually Paper Caps used to seal the glass milk and cream bottles, used before we got the plastic containers, we use today.
No twist offs or open this end lids here!!

By 1929 they were winning awards at Toronto Winter Fair, and other exhibitions.
Butter sales had increased by 60%

Ben Grundeen was Manager of the Estevan Amateur Baseball Club in 1923

Lloyd Jacobsen was one employee I have found.
They were the First Dairy in the Province, to adopt the waxed paper container for milk, replacing the old glass bottles. Paul Grundeen was the Creamery Operator at the time.
Paul Grundeen, like his father was President of the Rotary Club in Estevan

Mr. Grundeen bought the Ford dealership in Estevan in early 1926, It became Grundeen Motors, on 5th st.
He also owned the Ford dealership in Oxbow

Grundeen Cres. in Estevan named after Ben Grundeen

My mother told me Grundeen Creamery were the first to make an ice cream bar, but a company in the states, stole the idea and claimed the design.

They won numerous awards for their Ice Cream. I can still remember the taste, and the color.
Grundeen vanilla Ice Cream was a light yellow color, not that white artificial stuff we get today.
You needed a Good Solid Ice Cream Scoop to get it out of the pail, since it had very little air mixed in, to make the Ice Cream have volume.
Notice today so called Ice Cream never freezes solid? That is because a certain amount of air is added now, to make it look like you are getting a pail full, but really you are getting half air! Depending on the price, the amount of air is reduced. Then of course they also use ice milk, not cream. This stuff actually had Cream in it! reason it won awards!

Ext link, not my site, link may or may not work in the future

here is an old picture of the inside of the plant
http://www.ourroots.ca

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