HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 05-25 Obituary: Bob Schroeder led Schroeder Milk Co. through evolution PIONEER PRESS5/27/2016 Obituary: Bob Schroeder led Schroeder Milk Co. through evolution -Twin Cities
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Obituary: Schroeder
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Milk Co.
By WDK WGllMANI nwoltman@pioneerpress.com
May 25, 20161 UPDATED: 2 days ago
Bob Schroeder began working for his family's Maplewood dairy business as soon as he was strong enough
to lug a 110 -pound milk can off a truck.
He would go on to lead the Schroeder Milk Co. through five decades of industry evolution and ever-
increasing competition.
Schroeder died Saturday morning at his home in White Bear Lake. He was 89 years old.
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Schroeder took the reins of the company at a time when home delivery of bottled milk was giving way to
supermarkets, upending the business model of small family farms like his. While many others went under,
the Schroeders thrived.
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5/27/2016 Obituary: Bob Schroeder led Schroeder Milk Co. through evolution—Twin Cities
"People forget that the way we buy things like eggs and milk today are radically different than the way they
did 80 years ago," Schroeder's son Tom said. "Dad was on the front edge of that trend."
Forging relationships with early grocery chains like Red Owl ensured a future for the company. By the time
Schroeder retired in the 1990s, it supplied milk to McDonald's restaurants in seven states and all of
SuperAmerica's convenience stores, among many other clients.
Robert J. Schroeder was born in 1927 at a cabin on Lake McCarrons in what is now Roseville, which was
then surrounded largely by farmland. He and his twin brother, Bill, grew up immersed in the family dairy
business, which was founded by their grandfather in 1884 with a single cow.
They were pulled out of the tenth grade in 1943 to work there full-time — the steady stream of working -age
men being sent overseas during World War II had caused a labor shortage at home. The twins began taking
on greater responsibility at the company when their grandfather died that same year. Bob gradually
became the face of the company, while Bill handled its operations behind the scenes.
The twins invested in expensive pasteurization equipment and landed several lucrative supply contracts,
facing stiff competition from larger firms in what was becoming a cutthroat business.
"That was a pretty rough and tumble era in the industry," Tom Schroeder said. "We grow or we die."
Bob adapted the company to changing consumer behavior over then next few decades, recognizing the
growth potential of convenience stores and fast food restaurants as clients.
"Because we had our name on our products, there was a true ownership of everything we did," Bob's
younger brother Ernie Schroeder said. "We were a small family company and we were competing with the
nationals."
Ernie took over as president of the company when Bob retired in 1997. Schroeder Milk Co. was acquired by
Canadian cooperative Agropur in 2008, and continues to operate at 2080 Rice St.
Despite working long hours during his time at the head of the company, Bob found time to get his pilot's
license and learn to sail. He was also a voracious reader, devouring biographies and books on
history. Retirement gave him more time to spend with his family.
"He delighted in his grandchildren," Tom Schroeder said.
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5/27/2016 Obituary: Bob Schroeder led Schroeder Milk Co. through evolution —Twin Cities
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He also remained close with Bill over the years. The twins spoke to each other via the Faceti me video chat
app the day before Bob died.
Bob Schroeder is survived by his wife, three brothers, a sister and several grandchildren.
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5/27/2016 Obituary: Bob Schroeder led Schroeder Milk Co. through evolution—Twin Cities
A funeral service is scheduled Friday at 11 a.m. at First Lutheran Church in White Bear Lake. A visitation will
begin one hour earlier.
Tags: Obituaries
Nick Woltman reports on breaking news and blogs about local history. Before joining the
staff of the Pioneer Press in 2013, he worked for the Bismarck Tribune in North Dakota. He
lives with his wife and two cats in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul.
tIIF Follow Nick Woltman @)irdickwok'iniain
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