Elopak wishes one of its most established customers Schwarzwaldmilch, a very happy 90th Anniversary.

2020 is a year of celebration for Schwarzwaldmilch as it looks back on a history that has seen challenging times, changes in consumer tastes and demands, developments in technology, and, more recently, the rise of new dietary habits such as veganism.

On March 6, 1930, the dairy, then called Breisgau Milchzentrale GmbH, was founded by regional dairy farmers. In fact, the dairy can actually trace its beginnings to 1916 and Freiburger Milchhof GmbH, whose premises first housed Schwarzwaldmilch operations. Later in the year 1930, the Milk Act (Reichsmilchgesetz) came into force in Germany with guidelines on the supply of hygienic milk and laid out the different milk varieties for the first time. By 1936, larger premises were necessary for the dairy to keep up with milk deliveries, which were, on average, 1.3 liter per cow per day.

Expansion of the dairy continued with increases in production until the filling of bottled milk was halted due to World War 2 and was not resumed until 1950. More legislation and developments in refrigeration science, quality processing, and packaging technology led to the first milk packaged in paperboard in 1957.

Schwarzwaldmilch was the first dairy in Germany to launch fresh milk products in a gable top carton with the Pure-Pak® carton introduced in 1969. The partnership with Elopak continued through the decades, and both companies worked to meet consumer demand for better quality and more varieties with numerous new product innovations launched.

Over the years the range of products in Pure-Pak® cartons was expanded, including the launch of milk with no genetic engineering in 2006 and pasture milk in 2009 . More recently, Pure-Pak® cartons with Natural Brown Board were used to launch new organic hay milk in 2018. Other new products launched in the last few decades of development, growth, and innovation by Schwarzwaldmilch, include lactose free milk in 2001. With its subsidiary Black Forest Nature GmbH, Schwarzwaldmilch is also meeting the vegan trend. Oat drinks were launched under the brand Velike! in March 2020, and two fresh oat drinks in Pure-Pak® cartons will be available in the cooling shelves from October 2020.

“As a valued partner for over 50 years, Schwarzwaldmilch continues to bring revolutionary innovation to the dairy market, with packaging as an important part of their offering,” adds Michael Schumacher, Key Account Manager, Elopak Germany. “A lot has happened in 90 years for the dairy and more than 1,000 regional dairy farmers with the tireless commitment to producing the best milk and dairy products with naturalness, regionality, and transparency. As markets are constantly changing, we look forward to supporting Schwarzwaldmilch for the next 90 years.”