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What Happened to the Colombo Yogurt I Remember Since Childhood?

 

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

 BY ERICT_CULINARYLORE

 

 

Colombo yogurt was the first U.S. yogurt brand. It got its start in 1929 when Armenian immigrants Rose and Sarkis Colombosian began jarring and selling their family yogurt in Andover, Massachusetts. The yogurt they made in America was the same they had made in the old-country, and based on a traditional Armenian recipe. Along with their sons, the couple hand-filled every jar, and sold it to neighbors and friends.

The Colombosians, who had arrived in Chicago in 1917 but then moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, bought a small dairy farm in nearby Andover they called Wild Rose Dairy. The family made yogurt and a drink called ayran from their milk. When they began producing more milk than they could sell or use themselves, they decided to make yogurt that they would also sell along their milk route.

 

In fact, the Colombosian’s first customers were the local Syrian, Lebanese, Greek, or Armenian immigrants, all of which came from cultures with a yogurt tradition. It proved a good business, as these local hard-working folks were busy working in mills or other occupations and had no time to make their own yogurt the old way. The Colombosians priced their yogurt low enough so that it was as economical to buy as to make at home.In

From local dairy routes, the family began targeting Middle Eastern grocery shops. American owned grocery stores were not a likely sale since yogurt was still an unknown food to most Americans. They managed to get their yogurt into two stores in Watertown owned by the Mulgars. The Mulgars would later open a Massachusetts supermarket chain called Star Markets, which would also carry Colombo.

 

https://culinarylore...colombo-yogurt/

Colombo yogurt was the first U.S. yogurt brand. It got its start in 1929 when Armenian immigrants Rose and Sarkis Colombosian began jarring and selling their family yogurt in Andover, Massachusetts. The yogurt they made in America was the same they had made in the old-country, and based on a traditional Armenian recipe. Along with their sons, the couple hand-filled every jar, and sold it to neighbors and friends.

The Colombosians, who had arrived in Chicago in 1917 but then moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, bought a small dairy farm in nearby Andover they called Wild Rose Dairy. The family made yogurt and a drink called ayran from their milk. When they began producing more milk than they could sell or use themselves, they decided to make yogurt that they would also sell along their milk route.

[onjig]

 

Bob Colombosian, Whose Family Popularized Yogurt in North America, Dies at 92

May 4, 2018 at 3:25 pm Guest Contributor 0

Colombosian, Robert “Bob” 92, a longtime resident of Andover, Mass. passed away peacefully at home with his loving family by his side on April 30, 2018. Born on Dec. 8, 1925, Bob was the son […]

 

https://armenianweek...tuaries/page/4/

Edited by onjig, 20 December 2019 - 01:44 PM.

[MosJan]

RIP

[MosJan]

COLOMBOSIAN

 

HISTORY OF COLOMBOSIANS SUCCESS: COLOMBO YOGURTS

Did you know that yogurt was popularized in America by Armenian emigrants Sarkis and Rosa Colombosyan?
FIRST YOGURT PRODUCTION IN THE WORLD
"Colombo" is the first yogurt brand in the USA. It was started by Roza and Sarkis Colombosyana emigrants from Turkish Armenia. They set up their first production in 1929 in Massachusetts.
They prepared yogurt according to a traditional Armenian recipe, brought from their homeland. Before production began, Colombians prepared this product at home, filled it in jars and sold it to neighbors and friends.
The Colombians first arrived in Chicago in (1917). ), after which they moved to Lawrence (Massachusetts), and later established their own dairy farm in neighboring Andover. The first batches of Colombo yoghurt were cooked in a wood fired oven. In addition to milk and yogurt, they prepared the famous Armenian drink tan.
The first customers of Colombosians were Syrians, Lebanese, Greek and Armenian immigrants - all of those who were well familiar with the yogurt tradition. Armenian emigrants produced their first production in Middle East stores. American store owners were concerned about proposals to sell dairy products, completely unknown to the locals.
But soon yogurt became very popular among Americans. By the 1940s, the Colombian business was growing dynamically, they built a large plant in the same Andover, as the former one was damaged in a major fire. By the 1960s, when physicians discovered the useful properties of yogurt and confirmed that the product contained high protein and had rejuvenating properties, Colombo yoghurts began to sweep off store shelves at an incredible rate.
Over time, many other manufacturers have appeared on the market, such as "Dannon" and others. , who competed with the Colombians. At that time, production management went into the hands of Sarkis' sons - Bob and John. By this period, Colombo yogurts had gained popularity across America and were in huge demand.
The brothers introduced a new type of yoghurt into production, putting pieces of fruit on the bottom of the jar. After the introduction of this type of product, the sales of the Colombosyanov company soared again.
Nevertheless, without having the capital to compete with numerous producers already worldwide, the company was sold to French General Mills in 1993, which suspended production of Colombo yoghurt in 2010.
See. also: the Armenian family became the first yogurt producer in the United States
https://rusarminfo.r...a-stavshaya.../
Colombo Yogurts: Massachusetts success story
https://armeniangc.c...rty-kolombo.../
An incredible story of the success of Armenians in the United States: how matsun conquered America / Sputnik Armenia

[MosJan]

https://armeniangc.c...Ii7rFbIfQzG6nQc

 

 

 

Colombo Yogurts: A Massachusetts Success Story

 

 

 

The Colombosian family's business originated in Andover, Massachusetts, where it operated from 1929 until 1971, when production was moved to Mefuen.

Pioneers in yogurt production in the USA
Bob Colombosian

 

 

Bob Colombosian
Eighty-five years ago, in the ordinary kitchen of a simple Endeavor farm, the business that is now so prominent was born. Sarkis Kolombosyan and Rosa Krikorian, both immigrants from Armenia, married and started their family in Lawrence, Massachusetts. They founded Colombo and Sons Dairy in 1929, which gave many Americans their first introduction to yogurt. The first batches of Colombo yogurt were prepared on a wood stove using a traditional Armenian recipe and distributed to neighbors and friends. By 1940, word of mouth about the yogurt had spread, and the Colombosians had already begun distributing it throughout New England. The business truly became a family affair, with Sarkis's father and his sons Bob and John largely involved, filling the yogurt jars by hand and delivering them first on carts and later by truck and trailer.

Eight ounce jar of Colombo yogurt
Eight ounce jar of Colombo yogurt. An original Colombo & Sons Dairy Store jar that was donated to the Massachusetts Historical Society by the Colombosian family in the summer of 2004.
In 1939, the family farm was severely damaged due to fire and the Colombosians had to

Rosa Kolombosyan

 

Rosa Kolombosyan
build a new house with the introduction of widespread production. Since the 1960s, when the health benefits of yogurt became widely known, the family business took off. In 1971, Kolombossian and Sons were already building a modern yogurt production plant. Even though machine production has completely replaced those original wood-fired yogurt ovens, the family tradition has largely survived. Soon, son Bob became the new president of the company. By 1975, sales had doubled and Colombo became the best-selling yogurt in the United States.
Although Colombo Yogurt was acquired by General Mills in 1993, its original roots remain strong. Even after the acquisition, the yogurt was still made in a plant in Massachusetts, and Bob Colombosian and his wife Alice lived next door to the very farm where it all began.

Unfortunately, in 2010, General Mills stopped producing Colombo yogurt products and now this once famous brand has become just a bright page in the history of Armenian business in the USA and in the history of yogurt as such.

© Source:  www.masshist.org
© Translation:  Armenian Global Community

[MosJan]

https://rusarminfo.r...<br> <br> <br> The Armenian family that became the first yogurt maker in the United States

 

 

Almost until the 1940s, the United States did not know about yogurt, without which the diet of the average American today is difficult to imagine.

This fermented milk product, whose annual sales exceed $8 billion a year, was first presented to Americans by Armenian emigrants.

The Colombosian family from Andover, Massachusetts, began producing modern yogurt that tastes familiar to many in 1929. The basis for the fermented milk product was the recipe for Armenian matsun.

Spouses Sarkis Colombosyan and Rosa Krikorian named their dairy production “Colombo & Sons” and began producing yogurt with their own hands. Their sons, Bob and John, filled the yogurt jars by hand and then delivered them on carts to different parts of the city.

Already in the 1940s, the products of the Armenian farm began to actively spread throughout New England. The first consumers of the fermented milk product in the United States were Syrians, Lebanese, Greek and Armenian immigrants - all those who were well acquainted with the yogurt tradition.

The family business began to grow in the 1960s when the health benefits of yogurt became widely known. In addition to yogurt, the Kolombosyans also began producing traditional Armenian tan.

Over time, many other yogurt manufacturers appeared on the American market, including the Dannon company, which competes with Colombo Yogurt.

In 1971, an Armenian family built a modern yogurt production plant, and the management of the company passed to the sons of Sarkis Kolombosyan.

In the early 1990s, Colombo Yogurt was acquired by the American company General Mills.

For twenty years, Colombo yogurt continued to be produced in the United States, but in 2010, the American company decided to discontinue production of the famous brand created by an Armenian family.

The first yogurt producer in the United States, Armenian Sarkis Kolombosyan, passed away in 2018.
 

[MosJan]

https://armenianweek...ob-colombosian/

 

 

Bob Colombosian, Whose Family Popularized Yogurt in North America, Dies at 92

 

 

 

 

Robert “Bob” Colombosian (Photo: Ann Hermes/The Eagle-Tribune. Robert Colombosian)
Born on Dec. 8, 1925, Bob was the son of Sarkis and Rose (Krikorian) Colombosian who were the founders of Colombo & Sons Creamery, incorporated in 1929 as the first yogurt dairy in America. He graduated from Punchard High School, Andover class of 1944 and attended Bryant & Stratton College of Boston. He was also a proud Word War II Army veteran.

Bob married Alice (Amboian) of Detroit, Mich. in 1947 and they celebrated 61 wonderful years together until her passing in 2008. Their wedding present from his parents was a milk route, where they delivered milk door-to-door around Merrimack Valley under the name “Wild Rose Creamery.”

Bob was a true entrepreneur with a creative spirit who started and cultivated many businesses such as Colombo Yogurt, Inc., Autolab Imports in Woburn, Grumpy’s Restaurant in Boston, Colombo Frozen Yogurt Shoppe at Faneuil Hall and Sweet Scoops in Salem, Mass. He was central to the development of Colombo Frozen Yogurt “The Cultured Cow”. In 2003, he was coaxed out of retirement by General Mills, the owner of Colombo yogurt, and became an integral part of their television advertising campaign. In 2004 accompanied by his wife Alice, he appeared in the commercials commemorating the 75th anniversary of Colombo Yogurt. That same year he received a proclamation by Governor Mitt Romney, was recognized by Mayor Thomas Menino at Boston City Hall and received a key to the Town of Andover for his contributions to the local community. Post-retirement Bob remained active as a volunteer for 15 years at Lawrence General Hospital, retiring on his 90th birthday. Bob also believed in giving back to the community and was a generous contributor to a scholarship fund at Bentley University and to several Armenian organizations. He had served as a Parish Council Member of the Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church of Lawrence, and was a member of the St. Vartanatz Armenian Church, Chelmsford.

Bob was also a renowned race car driver and Member of the Sports Car Club of America from 1957-1967 where he was New England champion for many years. He drove modified sports cars and competed at raceways throughout the Northeast and eastern Canada as well as at Sebring Raceway in Fla. and at Watkins Glen, N.Y. After his racing career ended, he was frequently seen driving around his beloved Andover in his red mini cooper.

True to his historical roots, he also spent his last few years making yogurt on his kitchen stove using an original family recipe from Armenia and would deliver home-made yogurt and string cheese to his many friends.

Bob is survived by his daughters Karen Colombosian of Charlestown, Linda Colombosian of Newburyport, Nancy (Mike) Czlonka of Hinsdale, IL and Robin Colombosian of North Andover. He was pre-deceased by his wife Alice and daughter Valerie. He also leaves three Grandsons, Myles and Robert Couyoumjian and Michael Czlonka, sisters Ann Hallahan (Bill) of Sutton, NH and Mary Webb of Newbury, N.H., and was pre-deceased by his loving Brother John “Beep” Colombosian of Andover. In addition he leaves several nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters-in-law, and countless extended family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to either The Armenian Apostolic Church at High Pointe 1280 Boston Rd., Haverhill Mass. 01835; or St. Vartanantz Armenian Church, 180 Old Westford Rd, Chelmsford, Mass. 01824.

Calling hours at Burke-Magliozzi Funeral home, 390 North Main Street, Andover, on Sunday from 2-6 p.m. His Funeral will be celebrated on Monday at 9:30 a.m. in the Armenian Church at High Pointe, 1280 Boston Rd, Haverhill, Mass. 01835. For additional information, please visit, www.burkemagliozzi.com.

Published in the Boston Globe on May 2, 2018

[MosJan]

https://www.masshist.org/database/205
 

 

Colombo Yogurt 8-ounce container
Colombo Yogurt 8-ounce container Glass
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10.1 cm (height), 6.4 cm (diameter of base)

This is an original Colombo & Sons Creamery glass container, which was donated to the Massachusetts Historical Society in 2004 by the Colombosian family.  The Colombosian's business (known as Colombo's Creamery--the name that is visible on the glass container) was based in Andover, Massachusetts, from 1929 until 1971, when it moved to Methuen.

Colombo Yogurt: A Massachusetts Success Story
Seventy-five years ago, in the kitchen of an Andover farmhouse, a notable Massachusetts family business was born. Sarkis Colombosian and Rose Krikorian, both immigrants from Armenia, married and started their family in Lawrence, Massachusetts. They founded Colombo & Sons Creamery in Andover in 1929, which would give many Americans their first introduction to yogurt. The first batches of Colombo yogurt were cooked over a woodstove, using Rose Colombosian's traditional Armenian recipe, and distributed to neighbors and friends. By 1940, word had spread and the Colombosians began distributing their yogurt throughout New England. The business was truly a family affair, with Sarkis and his sons, Bob and John, filling the 8 ounce glass containers by hand and delivering them, first by horse-drawn wagon and, later, by pick-up truck.

Fire damaged the Colombosian's farm in 1939, and they built a new house with larger production facilities on Argilla Road in Andover. Beginning in the 1960s, when the health benefits of yogurt became more widely known, the Colombosian's business grew rapidly. In 1971, the family built a modern factory in Methuen, Mass. Although up-to-date machinery replaced the Colombosian's woodstove, the family tradition behind Colombo yogurt remained, with son Bob serving as president of the company. By 1975, sales had almost doubled, and Colombo was the best-selling plain yogurt in America.

Although General Mills purchased Colombo Yogurt in 1993, its local roots remain strong. Colombo yogurt is still made in the Methuen plant and Bob Colombosian and his wife, Alice, still live in Andover-right next door to the original Colombo & Sons Creamery.