Beloved dairy shuts down
Broguiere’s, supplier of milk in glass bottles since 1920, posts closure notices at its Montebello stand
The beloved familyowned Broguiere’s Farm Fresh Dairy in Montebello may be finally closing after serving fresh milk in iconic glass bottles for nearly 100 years.
“Closed until further notice” signs reportedly appeared at the dairy’s drivethru milk stand on Maple Avenue this week following a saga of will-they-or-won’tthey closure rumors that began in late May when the supermarket chain Gelson’s announced that the dairy was permanently shutting down and that the market no longer would receive shipments of its milk.
Although the dairy never made an official statement regarding its future, owner Ray Broguiere Jr. told NBCTV Channel 4 in May that high costs and strict state regulations were the driving forces behind the decision to close.
The news ushered in an outpouring of support from customers who flooded the milk stand to buy out their glass bottles and pleaded on social media to keep the operation going. In response, Broguiere Jr. told KCET-TV Channel 28 in June that he was exploring options that would keep the dairy alive.
But last week, customers began posting to the dairy’s Facebook page, noting that Broguiere’s products were missing from local stores. Commenters said signs appeared Monday alerting visitors that the business was closed for the foreseeable future. The dairy also is listed as closed on Yelp.
Whether the decision is final is unclear. Neither the dairy nor Broguiere Jr. have responded to requests by The Times since initial reports of the closure in May.
Members of the dairy’s loyal customer base have long stopped by the milk stand decorated with cowlike black-and-white splotches for its creamy white milk, rich chocolate milk and holiday eggnog.
The dairy dates back to 1920, when Ernest Broguiere, a French immigrant from the Alps, purchased a lemon grove on Maple Avenue.
When his lemon business failed, he bought a Holstein cow and some glass bottles and started selling milk door-to-door using a horsedrawn wagon.
Ernest’s son, Ray Broguiere Sr., took over the business in 1965, and Ray Broguiere Jr., the dairy’s most recent owner, took over for his father in 1975.
Broguiere Jr. told The Times in 2001 that he planned to pass the business on to his son, Chris.
Over the years, Broguiere’s milk has been sold at specialty grocery stores, such as Gelson’s, Pavilions and Mayfair, and at supermarkets such as Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons. The dairy once processed organic milk for Whole Foods stores in Southern California.
Broguiere’s was a nostalgic window into the past when more than 100 dairies in Southern California sold milk in glass bottles in a state that has long been a leader in dairy production.
Although designs varied, the thick old-fashioned bottles all carried the dairy’s logo featuring a cartoon linedrawing of a cow saying, “Milk so fresh … the cow doesn’t know it’s missing.”