(Mark Eberhard | Photo courtesy of Eberhard’s Dairy)
Eberhard’s Dairy products, the well-known local dairy supplier, was founded in Redmond back in 1951 by Swiss immigrant Jack Eberhard. In 1964, the second generation of Eberhards, Jack, Bob, and Richard, took over the family business. Jack retired in 2003, Richard retired in 2005, and Bob was active in the business until 2017.
Today, the business is in the hands of the third generation, Mark Eberhard. Mark was raised in the business, first working at the age of 11, bagging ice and working his way up. “My dad and two uncles were running the company, and it gave me plenty of time to observe, listen and learn,” Mark said. “It gave me the ability to slowly gain responsibility as I got older.”
Mark became a production manager in 2001, and moved up to general manager in 2004. For more than 20 years now, he’s been involved in every part of the business. Over the years, Mark said that he’s learned the importance of finding good people you can trust, and in prioritizing people over everything else. He’s seen the fourth generation enter the family business, and looking back over the last 75 years of Eberhard’s Dairy Products, he feels the sense of accomplishment that comes with a milestone such as this one.
“Our size, where we are today, it’s all something my grandfather never would have thought possible,” Mark said. “He taught me so much, and back in those years when he was teaching me, Eberhard’s was so much smaller than it is today. Even then, our size and growth surprised him. It’s a huge accomplishment to make it to where we have, and we have our people to thank for it.”
Those people are Eberhard’s employees, some of which have been with the company for several years, and of course, Eberhard’s loyal customers. “Our only reason to exist is to take care of the customer,” Mark said. “That’s always been the goal.”
Taking that goal into the future, Mark is happy to announce an upgrade to Eberhard’s system. “We’re implementing new software, a major upgrade for us,” he said. “Helping us become more efficient, take better care of customers, and internally take care of employees better with the efficient transfer of data.”
In addition, Mark said that continued growth is on the horizon. As Central Oregon grows, Eberhard’s will continue to scale production to meet the needs of their customers, as well as move into more markets by offering more niche products, such as ice cream mix; an essential ingredient for any business looking to make large quantities of their own ice cream, such as Goody’s.
Reflecting on the community’s support of Eberhard’s, Mark said, “We’re so grateful everyone has put their trust into our family for quality dairy products. It’s a pleasure and honor to serve for 75 years, and we look forward to the future.
