Lititz Historical Society Lecture: History of Pensupreme Dairy

Please join the Lititz Historical Foundation for their next lecture in their winter lecture series as they welcome guest speaker David Heckel of Lititz. Mr. Heckel will discuss the history of Pensupreme dairy in Lancaster County. Heckel is the grandson of Eli L. Garber who originally founded the company.
History of the company:
In 1921 Garber's Lancaster Sanitary Milk Company was incorporated. The demand for Garber’s milk products increased the economy for the farmers whose cow herds helped supply… Show more this new enterprise. There was no doubt Eli Garber’s dairy business would be successful, as it was located in the most productive agricultural area with a wealthy supply of raw milk and an increasing demand for dairy products from the growing population. In 1929 Lancaster Sanitary Milk Corporation's name was changed to Penn Dairies, Inc., with the trade name now known as Pensupreme. During this time their processing facilities were moved to Lancaster. Eli L. Garber was certainly ahead of his time, and was a true pioneer in Lancaster County's dairy industry. Pensupreme ice cream was a very popular treat in the Lancaster County area, and they even owned several convenience stories around the county.
Eli L. Garber was born on Feb. 11, 1864. In 1890, he invested his money in the Garber-Reist Company located in Stevens, PA. By 1895 they began operating a creamery and egg business that was located at the current site of Susquehanna Bank's headquarters on Water Street in downtown Lititz. Later, this location became the Morgan Paper Mills. Garber’s E.D. (Elm Dale) print butter was another popular item. This butter was sold to neighborhoods as far away as Philadelphia. It was at this location that the business incorporated under the name E.L. Garber and Son. The Lititz Run, which still runs underneath the current building, proved useful as Garber took advantage of the very cold spring waters as a source of ice. This ice also aided in the preservation of the milk as commercial refrigeration was still many years away. Later this spring water was used in the condensing process after he traveled to Germany to buy special equipment which could condense the extra milk.
While on board the ship to Germany, Garber met future chocolate maker Milton Hershey. Hershey happened to be traveling to Switzerland to learn the secret to rich chocolate making. The two men eventually became close friends; and ironically, it was Garber who talked Hershey out of building a chocolate factory in Lititz. When Garber arrived back to Lancaster County with his new equipment, his new machinery proved lucrative. By 1912 the new condensing plant was off and running. This sugar-condensed milk product was used for ice cream, chocolate and even purchased by Hershey's caramel factory in Lancaster. Garber also used a lot of the condensed milk himself for his own business – even later in life when he became President of the Ideal Cocoa Company (now Wilbur Chocolate).
The lecture is free and open to the public. It will take place at Linden Hall Steinman Arts Center located on the campus of Linden Hall. The Arts Center is wheelchair accessible. For more information, please contact Cory Van Brookhoven at (717) 875-0630.

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