Silverwood Dairy
A London, Ontario dairy brand later acquired by Ault Foods.
Silverwood Dairy was a London, Ontario, Canada, dairy company that operated in the early 20th century and was later acquired as a brand name by Ault Foods. Founded by Albert Edward Silverwood, the company began as a dealer in cold storage products and a manufacturer of ice cream and butter, serving Ontario from its London base. Over the decades, it grew through acquisitions of smaller dairies and other assets, eventually expanding beyond Ontario. After Silverwood's death, the company continued under new ownership, with the Silverwood brand persisting as a milk brand under Ault Foods before slowly disappearing in the late 1990s.
Quick Facts
- Founder
- Albert Edward Silverwood
- Founded
- early 20th century
- Headquarters
- London, Ontario, Canada
- Key people
- Albert Edward Silverwood (President and Managing Director)
- Products
- cold storage products
- ice cream
- butter
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The Silverwood family never lived in the mansion that later became Dante Lenardon Hall at King's University College.
- Silverwood's brother, William Alexander Silverwood, moved to Saskatoon in 1907 and became a cattle rancher; the neighbourhood of Silverwood Heights bears his name.
History
Albert Edward Silverwood (b. February 15, 1876, d. December 2, 1961) was born on a farm near the village of Oakwood, west of Lindsay, Ontario. He attended Oakwood Public School and Lindsay Collegiate Institute. In 1901, he married Eva M. Ferris of Lindsay; they had one son, Edward Gordon, and one daughter, Dorothy Marie. Silverwood was President and Managing Director of Silverwood Industries Limited of London, Ontario.
The company was a dealer in cold storage products and a manufacturer of ice cream and butter; it began operations in London and provided services across Ontario. In 1966 it acquired Calgary-based United Dairies. Over its existence, Silverwood acquired a number of smaller dairies and other assets: Willards Cream Top Dairy (Toronto) in 1929, City Dairy (Winnipeg) in 1943, Campbell's Dairy (Peterborough) around 1960, a 40% stake in Mac's Convenience Stores in 1963 (fully acquired in 1972), and Royal Oak Dairy in 1976.
Later in life, Silverwood established the A.E. Silverwood Foundation in 1948. He died in 1961 and is entombed in Woodland Cemetery Mausoleum, London, Ontario, between his two wives. His mansion in London was home to the University of Western Ontario's Faculty of Music and School of Business Administration. The Tudor Revival A.E. Silverwood Building is now called Dante Lenardon Hall.
The Silverwood family never lived in this house; Silverwood's donations went towards the purchase of this building for the use of the Music programme. After Silverwood's departure, the company continued to grow. By 1984, Silverwood was taken over by the John Labatts Limited-owned Ault Foods and the name was carried on as a milk brand. The Calgary branch was acquired by the Southern Alberta Dairy Pool in 1977.
The company was sold in the 1990s to Agropur and slowly disappeared. The non-dairy part of Silverwood was renamed Silcorp Limited in 1978 and became a Toronto-based operator of the Mac's Convenience chain. Silcorp acquired Mac's rival Becker's in 1996. The Silverwood name and brand disappeared for good in 1999 when the company was acquired by Couche-Tard.
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