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Oberweis sees the light and switches to amber bottles for milk

In-store lighting issues that negatively impact taste lead Oberweis to take the risk of changing from its iconic clear glass bottles to amber bottles for white milks.

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That long-familiar clear glass bottle of Oberweis white milk that customers have come to know and love has been replaced with an amber glass bottle. The North Aurora, IL-based fourth-generation family-operated dairy company made the change to preserve the taste and quality of these milks, sold throughout the Chicagoland area, as well as central Illinois, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and St. Louis.

Says the company’s media agency, “This is a risky move from the company, whose iconic clear glass milk bottles have helped them differentiate their products from the plastic milk jugs and cartons sharing refrigerator shelf space. CEO Joe Oberweis feels that strongly about preserving quality and taste that he’s willing to endure any initial criticism or pushback from loyal customers who may not initially embrace the bottle change.” Achieving that taste and quality with no artificial hormones, preservatives, or antibiotics, is due in part to what the company calls a “gentle pasteurization process.” Add in the company’s 90-year-plus home delivery service that brings farm-fresh milk to customer doorsteps within 36 hours of milking and it’s understandable why Oberweis enjoys a loyal customer base.

The amber bottles are provided by Stanpac, and topped with a tear-away tamper-evident plastic band and closure. Stanpac says, “One day, the Oberweis family discovered a shocking truth: that the milk they were selling in grocery stores didn’t taste as good as the milk they sold on-site [at Oberweis retail outlets] and through home milk delivery.

“The Oberweis team realized that it was the grocery store lighting that was to blame. The LED lights used in the refrigerated cases [were] causing the taste to change….Amber glass has the ability to filter out certain wavelengths of light. This prevents the LED lighting from having such a harmful effect on the milk….Those who buy their milk straight from the farm, either on-site or through Oberweis milk delivery, will still enjoy their milk in the traditional clear glass bottles. But those who shop at the grocery store are in for a surprise.”

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