Nelson-Jameson Turns 75

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Nelson-Jameson’s founding. In 1947, Earl Nelson, his father Ted, Herb Jameson and Bob Dougherty founded Nelson-Jameson as a dairy equipment and supply business in Toluca, IL. Their goal was to serve as a comprehensive resource for dairy plants, but they soon discovered that their Illinois location wasn’t ideal. So Ted and Herb studied dairy production maps and relocated the business to Marshfield, WI—the heart of dairy production. Shortly after, Jameson and Dougherty left Nelson-Jameson to pursue other business opportunities, leaving the company in the hands of the Nelson family.

Today, Nelson-Jameson is run by the fourth generation of the Nelson family and continues to grow. The organization has added distribution centers in California, Idaho, Pennsylvania, and Texas, as well as a sales office in Illinois, to meet the needs of its markets. Over the course of 75 years, Nelson-Jameson has expanded its product offerings to meet the needs of food, dairy, and beverage plants—becoming the supplier of choice in all 50 states, as well as many foreign countries.

The Nelson-Jameson Family

Our greatest asset is our employees, and we applaud the passion they bring to our mission and their dedication to the organization. Many of the 200+ individuals employed by Nelson-Jameson have been here for decades. Creating a culture where our people can thrive and feel supported has been essential to our 75 years of growth and success. We asked our employees what they loved most about life at Nelson-Jameson—their answers mentioned our focus on personal and professional growth, a work-life balance, and treating our employees like family.

Our Focus On Our Future

While the food industry has changed over the past seven decades, Nelson-Jameson’s commitment to helping our customers create safe, quality food remains steadfast. As the industry continues to adapt to the evolving demands of today, Nelson-Jameson is proud to be at its helm, providing food processors with products and solutions for the needs of tomorrow.

“The need for accurate and relevant information continues to grow, and Nelson-Jameson will continue to provide transparent communication so that our customers can make the right decisions for their businesses’ needs.”

Dakonya Freis, VP of Marketing & Product Management

The growth of our organization lies with the future leaders of Nelson-Jameson, and we will continue to lay the foundation for their success by providing a work environment that promotes Golden Rule values—the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our co-workers, the industry in which we work, and the communities where we live. It is these values that are the key to the success of the past and the roadmap for future generations to follow. 

“We hope that when we someday hand off the business reins to the fifth generation, we’ve given them the tools necessary to successfully lead Nelson-Jameson into the future—just as our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents did before us.”

Amanda Nelson-Sasse, Co-Owner & VP of Web Development

Continue to follow us on our website and social media, as we celebrate our 75th Anniversary all year!

Whether you are in the mood for a classic cone, milkshake or sundae, it is hard to be disappointed by ice cream. The frozen dessert makes life so good that we dedicate a whole month to celebrate ice cream. Let’s face it—ice cream really does make everything better. 

Ice Cream is a National Treasure 

July is dedicated as National Ice Cream Month, an honor that was proclaimed in 1984 by President Reagen. The third Sunday of the month would be celebrated as National Ice Cream Day. The American people were encouraged to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, the average American eats approximately 20 pounds of ice cream a year, or about 4 gallons.

President Reagen recognized the importance of ice cream in America’s dairy industry as nearly 10% of all milk produced by the United States dairy farmer is used to produce the dessert. Now in 2022, the percentage is close to the same at 9% of all milk produced.

The dessert is a great way to cool off and enjoy favorite frozen treats when the summer hits peak temperatures, especially in the hot, unpredictable Midwest months. Nelson-Jameson strives to keep ice cream production on the front line of one of the most enjoyable frozen treats—we help to make it even more enjoyable by supporting our customers with key ingredients to make delicious ice cream products. 

Nelson-Jameson and Ice Cream Colors

One of our biggest contributions to the ice cream industry is providing phenomenal color products to make ice cream stand out. 

The profusion of colors and flavors are endless when it comes to ice cream. The shades and hues set flavors apart— even vanilla comes in various different shades to reflect the flavor. French Vanilla, slow-churned, vanilla bean, or old-fashioned vanilla are all assigned  a different contrast of yellow. 

Color is a necessary, important part in the perception of flavor. Finding the right color and application to enhance the visual appeal of the finished product can be tricky. The color result of the end product must be compatible with the dominant flavor of the product. Compromise on color could jeopardize the success of the product. Our expert knowledge of color application can help determine the correct color for your product—helping to stabilize pH levels, suit fat content, support pasteurization, and homogenization.

Nelson-Jameson proudly carries both Oterra™ Natural Colors and DDW™ The Color House.  Both produce colors from natural sources that include fruits, vegetables, seeds and plants—resulting  in beautiful, eye-catching colors that meet the needs of manufacturers and support flavor.

High-quality, high-performance color solutions are available in a wide scope of appealing palette choices. Assortments range from bright and bold to softer, pastel shades to help set ice cream products apart. Colorful concepts can be developed to inspire and attract consumers and their taste-buds.

What is Your Flavorite?

Ice cream offers up great opportunities to get creative with flavors. Some are classic and traditional while others are unique and innovative. One thing is common: each must start with either chocolate or vanilla. 

To help distinguish themselves from the competition, creameries and ice cream parlors are looking for something no one else can offer. Among different ideas and creations, you may find various new ice cream flavors. Some inventions include: Cheetos, Pickled Mango, Pizza, Bourbon and Corn Flakes, and Pear and Bleu Cheese. However, the Top Ten ranked flavors are: 

1. Vanilla
2. Chocolate
3. Cookies & Cream
4. Mint Chocolate Chip
5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
6. Buttered Pecan
7. Birthday Cake
8. Strawberry
9. Moose Tracks
10. Neapolitan

Did You Know…

Dimirti Panciera, showing off his Guinness Book of World Records feat in 2017.

• Ice cream was once called “cream ice”.
• A cow can produce enough milk over its lifetime for 9,000 gallons of ice cream.
• 90% of American households eat ice cream.
• Ice cream was supplied to soldiers throughout World War II – it was the chosen treat to celebrate the end of the War. 
• Ice cream in commercials and ads are actually mashed potatoes.
• Chocolate ice cream was invented before vanilla—although vanilla is more popular. Chocolate initially was created by using coffees and teas. 
• The most ice cream scoops balanced on a cone is 125. Guinness Book of World Records published a new record on November 17, 2018 that was completed in Italy by Dimirti Panciera.

At Nelson-Jameson, we believe in providing a variety of options so food producers can find the solution best suited for their application and facility. Contact us to find out more of what we can do for YOU!

A Longstanding Tradition

June Dairy month is a beloved tradition in Wisconsin for many decades. The recognition began out of necessity, as a way to widely distribute extra milk once the weather started to turn warmer. By 1939, June became the official “dairy month” and is still widely celebrated today.

In Marshfield, Nelson-Jameson has the pleasure of participating in a few events during June Dairy Month. We can be found serving at the June Dairy Breakfast, and holding a spot in the annual DairyFest parade—to name a few.

Aside from parades and festivities, we are proud to be an integral part of the dairy and food industry. For 75 years, we have been providing food manufacturers with the supplies and services they need to produce safe, quality food.

We strive to attain supply chain excellence through attentive customer service, comprehensive technical expertise, sophisticated logistics and elevated industry acumen. Watch our value of partnering video series on our About Us page to see why Nelson-Jameson is so much more than a supplier.

These products and services, coupled with the same Golden Rule principles and integrity that directed the company during its early years, now proudly serve the food industry worldwide—Some may say we are aging like a good cheese!

Some Interesting Dairy Facts:

• Farmers measure milk in pounds, not gallons—8.6 pounds per gallon is the standard.
• It takes about 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese and just over 21 pounds to make a pound of butter.
• Wisconsin is the only state where Lindburger cheese is produced. 
• Dairy cows eat about 100 pounds of food every day and drink 25-50 gallons of water. 
• America’s favorite ice cream flavor is good old vanilla! The second favorite is chocolate.
• Home delivery of milk started in 1942 as a conservation measure during WWII. 
• Early cheesemakers shaped Edam into balls to roll down the gang planks of ships for easy transport. 
• In the nursery rhyme, Little Miss Muffet, the curds and whey were an early version of cottage cheese.
• Once common in England, newlyweds used to be presented with a pot of butter, symbolizing wealth and fertility. 

Do you have some dairy trivia knowledge you’d like to share with us? We would love to hear it— simply leave a comment below to share! 

In a food processing facility, there are some hazards that can be easily spotted with the human eye: a color-coded tool in the wrong portion of the plant, a visibly-soiled food
contact surface, a leaking/corroded hose, etc. However, there are a plethora of hidden and sometimes even invisible threats looming. One potentially fatal threat in food facilities that may linger out of sight is DUST.

Food product materials were responsible for a whopping 44.3% of fires and explosions. These numbers easily overshadow other materials like metal, coal, paper, plastic, carbon, etc (24.1% is represented by the next most present material: wood products).   

What’s even more troubling is that it’s not easy to pin down just one or two culprits when examining materials in a food manufacturing plant. Instead, all materials need to be thought about holistically. As OSHA describes, “Any combustible material can burn rapidly when in a finely divided form. If such a dust is suspended in air in the right concentration, under certain conditions, it can become explosible. Even materials that do not burn in larger pieces (such as aluminum or iron), given the proper conditions, can be explosible in dust form.”

Nelson-Jameson works closely with Delfin Industrial Vacuums to anticipate and meet customer needs when it comes to dust concerns. Our partnership allows us to combine a wide range of highly engineered dust mitigation equipment with the most tenured technical experts known in the food market. By creating this partnership, Nelson-Jameson and Delfin are able to reduce your risk while suggesting certified solutions in compliance with NFPA guidelines and OSHA requirements for TOTAL DUST MITIGATION. 

Our Product Specialists are eager to discuss free consultations and product options—helping you take one step closer to eliminating your risk. Contact us today!