Background

The Dairy Distribution Industry as it Was

At tender ages, decades ago, TAG’s creators first entered the field of dairy distribution, becoming part of the esteemed fraternity commonly known as 'milkmen'.

At the time, milk and a very limited range of other dairy products were manufactured and processed by a plethora of small local independently owned dairies duly licensed pursuant to the Milk Act who, in turn, sold their products to independent 'milkmen'.

Through rain, snow, sleet or gloom of night, the 'milkmen', in turn, transported the milk and dairy products in their own simple horse or motor drawn delivery vehicles, which utilized natural (ie. Ice) refrigeration in order to preserve and maintain the quality of the milk and dairy products being transported.

The 'milkmen' would then proceed to deliver and sell their milk and dairy products, on a door-to-door basis, to their local neighborhood run. Homes were built with side milk boxes, which served as the 'milkman’s' drop-off point. The point of sale was generally the front or side door of the consumer’s home between the 'milkman' and the stay-at-home housewife. The milkman was felt literally to be a member of the family and an integral fixture within each and every community.

Not surprisingly, in cases of children of such housewives not resembling their natural fathers, paternity was frequently and jokingly attributed to the ubiquitous door-to-door 'milkman'… 'The Milkman Did It'!

This myth only serves to reinforce the very traits displayed by the traditional milkman - fiercely independent and hard-working individuals whose very survival depended on highly personalized and flexible service and attention.

The Dairy Distribution Industry Today

The day and age of the door-to-door milkman is, unfortunately, long gone. The dairy distribution industry has been radically transformed during the course of the past quarter century.

Today, milk and an extensive and diverse range of dairy products are manufactured and processed by a very few enormous multi-national corporations, through large, modern and sophisticated manufacturing and processing plants.

Side milk boxes on homes have been permanently sealed, and the door-to-door milkman has been replaced and supplanted by the corner store or local supermarket. Competition among distributors is cutthroat, and there is nowhere in the marketplace for the weak of heart. As a result, many milkmen have simply left the industry, or become a salaried employee of the industry giants.

Formation of TAG Dairy

Notwithstanding the radical and onerous changes being felt throughout the industry, the individual milkmen creators of TAG adapted, survived and even prospered during these difficult times.

On the other hand, over a decade ago, the milkman creators of TAG saw the writing on the wall, and came to understand that unless they united and adapted to the radical changes when occurring in the dairy distribution business, they, like many of their milkman peers, would lose their independence and become largely obsolete.

Accordingly, TAG was formed in the early 1990’s and, on application to the Dairy Fruit and Vegetables Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, TAG was granted a 'Non-Processor Distributor License' pursuant to the Milk Act.

Having procured the requisite licensing, TAG was uniquely placed in a position to consummate a variety of supply arrangements with the dairy manufacturers of its own choosing.

Next, TAG obtained and developed a modern and efficient wholesale storage and distribution facility in the City of Etobicoke (now a part of the City of Toronto), ideally situated next to two of Toronto's critical highway corridors and within ready reach of the entire Greater Toronto Area (GTA), which formed the heart of TAG's customer marketplace.