Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 7, Issue 9, September 2003

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Vitamilk shuts down Green Lake plant

By JAMES BUSH

An era ended quickly at Vitamilk's Green Lake plant on Aug. 16.

That's the day the North End dairy shut down, putting 70 employees out of work and ending more than 60 years of milk production by the family-owned business.

Founded during the Great Depression by Edwin Teel, Vitamilk opened it's Green Lake plant in 1941, adding the Vitarich Ice Cream Company four years later. But production fell from 20 million gallons in 1997 to just 10 million gallons last year, as major clients QFC and Alaska-based grocer Carr's Quality Centers were purchased by large chains with their own dairy operations.

Given that the number of independent grocers is on a steady decline, Vitamilk had no choice but to close down, says chief financial officer Daryl Vander Pol. "It was very sad on all parties' behalf to have to make the decision," he says. Vitamilk employees "didn't get much notice and we feel badly about that."

Vander Pol, the son-in-law of company president Jerry Teel, says the family nature of the business extended to the employees, who were understanding of the economic necessity of the closure. "We had good employees, we had a family atmosphere here," he says. "So many people talked about how the atmosphere here was so much healthier than you find in many workplaces."

The Vitamilk name and some company assets have been purchased by Wilcox Farms, a family-run dairy based in Roy, says Vander Pol.

The Vitarich Ice Cream operation will continue, but production will be transferred to Arctic Ice Cream Novelties in South Seattle, a company in which Vitamilk owns an interest.

The plant will continue operations as a shipping center for Vitarich Ice Cream, but much of the space will be vacant, leading to speculation that the property might be sold and redeveloped. Vander Pol says the company is considering its options. "Future plans for the property have just not been considered at this point," he says. "That process will take place in the near future, I would guess."

Although the Vitamilk property is zoned for commercial use, it was eyed for future residential uses in the neighborhood plan, says Green Lake Community Council President Ref Lindmark. The 130-unit Green Lake Condominiums are currently under construction on an adjacent property. "We wanted a healthy 'downtown' environment [in the neighborhood business district] and for that to be successful, we need people to live there," he says.

Although Vitamilk predated most of its neighbors, the truck traffic, noise, and lighting glare of its distribution operations led many neighbors to argue the plant had outgrown its site, says Lindmark. "There are people who believe that the dairy is a nice sort of mixed-use thing in the neighborhood, but they don't live next to it."

Still, Lindmark credits the company's longtime involvement in the community. "I was involved for many years with the Green Lake Elementary School and the dairy was a good friend of our programs there," he notes.