Dakota Growers Pasta Co. is a pasta manufacturing company based in Carrington, North Dakota in the U.S. Both Viterra and Dreamfields are well known brands of the company that are widely popular in USA and UK.
History
The history of Dakota Growers Pasta Co. traces back to 1991 when the U.S. Durum Growers Association came up with the idea of starting a company owned by the farmers. Members Jack Dalrymple and Gene Nicholas were conducting a study on opening a new manufacturing plant in Dakota. Tim Dodd, the current CEO, was a friend of Gene Nicholas and joined the company.
In November 1993, the new manufacturing plant was opened, and the estimated cost of building the facility was around $40 million. The pasta manufactured by the company became very popular, and they expanded the facility in 1996. It also bought another plant in New Hope in 1998.
The company owned by the wheat farmers started reaping profits. When crops became affected by scab disease, the company started purchasing wheat for pasta manufacturing from Montana. Thus, in 2002, the farmer’s co-operation turned into a C corporation. By this time, people other than farmers became shareholders of the company, and sales reached $5 million.
The company started to grind more wheat and supplied it to other factories in the area. In one year, the company was capable of making 270 million pounds of pasta. Over the years, the factory was expanded and started manufacturing more pasta.
In 2004, it introduced the new fiber rich pasta brand, Dreamfields. This low carb pasta became a hit among people suffering from diabetes. At present, this brand alone adds $13 million to the sales of the company. A couple of years later, it also started exporting its products to the UK. The company even coverts the waste materials from the plant into a very nutritious cattle feed.
Today, Dakota Growers Pasta Co. is one of the largest pasta manufacturers in the country. It purchases wheat necessary for the production of pasta from North Dakota and Eastern Montana. The company also started a new agronomy program to prevent the outbreak of wheat scab disease in the future. The company sells most of its products to supermarkets and food services.
Stats
Company headquarters: One Pasta Avenue, Carrington, ND, USA
Ownership: Private
Annual revenue: $17.7 million
Number of employees: 439
Geography: USA, UK
Demography: Natural and Organic
Brands
Dreamfields
Viterra
Important links
Corporate Home Page
Products
Jobs and Careers
Contact Information
I just wanted to share how wonderful this company is. I called them looking for a possible donation of spaghetti for my niece’s benefit/dinner, who has stage IV melanoma. Without hesitation, they agreed to the complete amount we needed. It is beyond words how grateful and appreciative I am to Dakota Growers and all of the companies who give to those in our community that are in need. THANK YOU!
Just wanted to share with you my disappointment on my package of Dakota Growers Lasagna 1 LB package that I purchased at Ekness Supervalue Foods in Crosby, North Dakota on 10/22/14. My husband had asked that I make 2 pans of Lasagna for the guys on his work crew. When I opened the package to boil the Lasagna noodles only 7 of the pasta noodles were not broken up. Therefore, I could only make up one pan the night before, and had to wait till the morning to purchase another box. I am new to the area and decided to purchase this product to support the Dakota’s. Not sure of the packaging/handling process, but wanted to share my disappointment.
Hi,
Overhill Farms Inc. with tax identification number 33-0495944, has contracted us to solicit a 2015 NAFTA Certificate of Origin (NCO) for raw material that your company supplies or will supply to them.
We used to coordinate with Gwen Kessler. However, our email to Gwen lately was “undelivered”. In this regard, may we please request your help to please refer us to the person in-charge of issuing NAFTA Certificates whom we can email and coordinate this matter.
Hoping that you will give this matter your preferential attention.
Thanks and kind regards,
Nina