The Watkins-Kemps Connection

These two companies combine their quest for quality into some great holiday products.

We all know the JR Watkins Company has been producing quality products since 1868. But we folks on the West coast in Big Bear, California -- where our All Natural Company Store is located -- are not that familiar with Kemps. That’s because the company is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. It operates five manufacturing facilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Since 1914, Kemps has been distributing its dairy products throughout the upper Midwest. From its beginnings as a small creamery in Southeastern Minnesota, Kemps has extended its roots to include the manufacture and marketing of fresh milk, premium ice cream, frozen yogurt and other quality products.

It was only natural (pun intended) that Watkins and Kemps would come together to create a number of specialized products. It is during the holidays that consumers throughout the Midwest are able to find Kemps dairy products on their market shelves enriched with Watkins spices and extracts. Those of us here in California can only imagine the zip that Watkins Pumpkin Spice, Mint, Vanilla and Cinnamon add to Kemps ice cream, egg nog and yogurt.

But leave it to some of us clever kitchen chefs to come up with our own recipes that combine Watkins with other dairy product companies found on the West coast. No matter how you mix them, Watkins spices and extracts are filling homes across the country with holiday treats that are becoming family traditions.