Borden Sells Florida Dairy to Its Managers

Borden Inc. said it has sold its Tampa, Fla., dairy to SunState Dairy & Food Products Co., a company formed by a group of managers at the dairy for an undisclosed amount of cash.

Under the agreement, the Tampa facility will continue to produce milk, ice cream and cultured products such as sour cream and yogurt under the Borden brand name for most of the state of Florida.

“We are pleased to be able to carry on the Borden tradition of freshness, quality and nutrition in Florida,” said SunState President David English, who has worked at the dairy for 20 years.

The Tampa plant and its distribution facilities employ 361 salaried and hourly employees. The name of the dairy has been changed to SunState Dairy & Food Products Co.

Borden Chairman R. J. Ventres said the sale of the Tampa dairy “essentially completes the U.S. dairy restructuring program we announced in September 1989.”

Borden, the nation’s largest dairy company, is a worldwide producer of consumer products, as well as packaging and industrial products. Worldwide sales last year were around $7.7 billion.