Detroit dairy behind your McDonald's treats turns 100

It may be sitting on a shelf in your refrigerator – half-and-half or coffee cream in a purple carton with C.F. Burger Creamery on the label.

Or you may have had its famous eggnog – its second most popular item and made year-round, not just during winter holidays.

But what you may not know is C.F. Burger Creamery dairy products, from half-and-half to sour cream to custard and soft serve mix, hail from Detroit.

“If you’ve ever had a McDonald’s soft serve cone, shake or McFlurry, it came from Detroit,” Dean Angott, president of C.F. Burger Creamery, told the Free Press. “It came from us.”

And you might just know the creamery by its longtime coffee cream jingle.

“You’re the cream in my coffee. You’re the cream in my pie. C.F. Burger Creamery tastes the best so give it a try,” goes the jingle.

It’s an easy-to-hum tune that sticks with you once you hear it.

C. F. Burger Creamery, established in 1926 and founded by Charles F. Burger, marks its 100th anniversary this year.

“And we're proud to say it's a family business,” Agnott, said at a Monday, Sept. 14, celebration of its 100 year milestone. “We're the only dairy in the city of Detroit. We stayed when others left.”

Its facility on Greenfield in Detroit is the city’s only dairy operation and the oldest continuous operating fluid dairy processor in the state of Michigan. There, they process millions of pounds of milk and cream each month.

Since 1965, C.F. Burger Creamery soft serve products are at 13% of McDonald's restaurants across the United States. In 1969, Angott said, Dairy Queen locations began using the creamery’s soft serve mix. You’ll also find its custard at the Henry Ford Greenfield Village frozen custard stand. Since 1947, Wally’s Frozen Custard in St. Clair Shores, formerly in Harper Woods, has used C.F. Burger Creamery custard mix.

A long Detroit dairy history

Originally, C.F. Burger was located on Forest Avenue on Detroit’s east side. Throughout its years, Angott said his family was involved in its operation. The Angott family also was operating Twin Pines home-delivery routes and also managed Farm Made Dairy, according to the company.

Eventually, the Angott family acquired ownership of C.F. Burger and merged the operations. Originally built by Sealtest dairy at 8101 Greenfield Road, the facility also produced Twin Pines products. It was 1977 when C.F. Burger moved from the E. Forest facility and into the larger Greenfield Road facility.

Its Detroit operation spans more than 70,000 square feet and employs about 60 people between management and plant workers.

Fourth generation Angott family members at the helm include president and CEO Dean Angott, vice president of sales Chris Angott, vice president of manufacturing Tom Angott II and Laura Sawchuk, the creamery’s vice president of marketing and human resources.

At the Monday celebration, the City of Detroit honored long time business recognizing its 100th anniversary with a proclamation as did the Michigan State Fair officials for the creamery’s support of the fair.

Much of the millions of pounds of milk and cream processed each month at C.F. Burger Creamery is sourced, Dean Angott said, from local farmers through the Michigan Milk Producers Association farmers.

They still make heavy whipping cream under the Twin Pines label – used by many restaurants – at the Detroit facility Angott said. Along with its signature half-and-half and eggnog, the creamery’s premium cream-based products include coffee cream, sour cream, goats’ milk, heavy whipping cream and soft-serve ice cream mix.

“We are a major soft serve supplier throughout the Midwest and in the city of Detroit," he said. "So, an awful lot of local ice cream stands" are serving soft serve that "may very well be coming from us. We make old-fashioned custard.”

The company's creamery products make their way into McDonald's shakes and McFlurries, while other products are in McDonald’s restaurants across 12 states. Its whole milk, Angott said, is used in McDonald’s McCafé espresso beverages and its coffee cream is served with McDonald’s Premium Roast Coffee.

“The creamery’s supermarket products are found from Maine down to Florida, on the east coast, across the Great Lakes and into Texas. So, we managed to continue to grow,” Angott said.

C.F. Burger Creamery also makes products for branded and private label lines.

Angott told the crowd of city dignitaries, media and government leaders, that there are only 150 companies in the state of Michigan that have made it to 100 years. Angott pointed out they joined businesses such as Carhartt, Ford and Kellogg’s who have made or surpassed 100 years. (The Detroit Free Press is also one of them.)

“And that's out of roughly 1.2 million registered active businesses in the state of Michigan,” he said.

In more than six years, Angott said they’ve made a $12 million investment in the facility to provide “future growth and expansion that we’re going to need to continue to get more capacity and more efficiency.”

By being family-owned, Angott said, they can survive ups and downs other companies wouldn’t.

“They would just go; this is not worth the investment. We can survive, hopefully, when times aren't really strong and good. And then enjoy and share when times are really great,” he said.

Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.