Cornwall’s Rivermead Dairy

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Museum Blog - January 2014

Cornwall’s Rivermead Dairy was founded in 1929 by Scottish-born and trained dairyman James Ross and Roy Mabee. The company operated for 50 years before closing in 1979.

In 1975, Ross recalled that when Rivermead Dairy first began, milk delivered to the door cost 8 cents per quart, while farmers received $1.45 for every 100 pounds of milk. By 1975, the price of delivered milk had risen to 58 cents per quart, and farmers were receiving $12.01 per 100 pounds.

Butter had originally sold for 19 cents per pound. Milk was delivered seven days a week, and deliverymen earned $25 for a week’s work.

The dairy was last operated by Camerons.

Black-and-white historic photograph of a Rivermead Dairy delivery truck on a city street. A streetcar is visible ahead of the truck, with tracks running along the roadway. A pedestrian in a dark coat walks beside parked vehicles on the right. The photograph is framed by a decorative printed border.
A Rivermead Dairy delivery truck making its round along 2nd St. East, Cornwall, 1939.
Photograph of a small, clear glass dairy bottle standing upright against a dark textured background. The bottle is empty, with visible scuffs and residue on the glass, and has a light-coloured cap or stopper at the top.
Clear embossed Rivermead Dairy pint bottle. The letters “RR” are embossed on the base of the above Rivermead Dairy bottle.
Close-up photograph of a glass Rivermead Dairy bottle lying on its side. The paper cap reads “Rivermead Dairy, Cornwall” and identifies the contents as a chocolate-flavoured dairy drink. The bottle appears empty and is shown against a dark textured background.
Scanned Rivermead Dairy invoice or delivery record from Cornwall, Ontario, dated 1947. The document lists customer information, handwritten milk order entries, prices, and payment totals. A colourful Rivermead Dairy Guernsey Milk logo appears near the lower left side of the page.