AE History

Anderson Erickson Dairy was founded in 1930 by boyhood friends Iver Erickson and William “Andy” Anderson. The two managed to raise the $15,000 necessary to buy an existing Des Moines dairy, back in the days when the city contained 144 small neighborhood dairies. In 1938, Anderson decided to return to his home state of Minnesota to work and sold his share to Erickson, though the company continued doing business under the Anderson Erickson name.

In the 1940s, the dairy moved to the current plant site on Hubbell Ave. Both the production facility and corporate office were housed there until August of 1991, when the airy and spacious new corporate office on East University was completed.

This old AE fleet of trucks has long since been
replaced with more modern vehicles

From those humble beginnings, AE has grown to be one of the largest (and few remaining) independent dairies in the country. Today, AE is still owned and operated by second and third generation Erickson family members. Along with producing the highest quality dairy products possible, AE strives to be an innovator in the dairy industry by introducing new products and utilizing the latest technological advancements whenever possible.

There is a long list of “firsts” that AE can claim since it opened its doors in 1930. They were the first dairy in the country to provide double safety seal packaging, the first dairy to package frozen yogurt for grocery sale and the first to put the photos of missing kids on milk cartons.

A lot has changed since 1930, but Anderson Erickson has kept a commitment to quality for almost 75 years and they intend to continue that commitment for another 75!

AE founder Iver Erickson and Jim Erickson, his son and current AE CEO, in a photo from the AE archives