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Dairy Barn - Wikipedia Jump to content

Dairy Barn

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Former Dairy Barn in New Hyde Park

Dairy Barn was a chain of regional convenience stores located on Long Island, New York, with headquarters at the Oak Tree Farm Dairy in Elwood, New York.[1] The stores were distinguished by their two canopied drive-through sections, a red barn appearance, and a little red silo.[2]

The peak number of operating Dairy Barn stores was approximately 70.[3][4] Acting as a distributor for Oak Tree, the stores carried Oak Tree brand milk and iced tea.[5] Under its own label, it sold butter, cream, eggs, bacon, sausage,[6] ice cream,[7][8] orange juice,[9] and even water.[10]

Some original Dairy Barn locations remain open as retail establishments retaining the red barn theme.[11]

History

[edit]

In 1941[12] Edgar Cosman, a Swiss textile manufacturer with business interests in the United States, purchased the Oak Tree Farm Dairy in Elwood on Long Island. His son, Dieter Cosman, was tasked with running it.[13][14] Under Cosman, the dairy's finances improved. During the 1950s, it stopped housing cows and began processing milk from upstate New York.[12][15][16]

Seeing the decline in its milk delivery business, Cosman expanded the dairy's wholesale milk business into a chain of retail, drive-through convenience stores named Dairy Barn in 1961.[13][17] The stores acted as distributors for Oak Tree's products, operating as a separate company and both owned by the Cosman family.[18][19]

The first store was on Larkfield Road in East Northport.[2] A store opened in Farmingdale in May 1961.[20] There were 45 stores by 1967.[21] A store opened in St. James in April 1971.[22] By 1972, there were 54 stores generating $20 million per year.[23] A 55th store was opened in Lake Ronkonkoma that year.[24] The stores implemented a recycling program in 1974 to dispose of its plastic milk containers.[25][26] Three years later, the 58-store chain had recycled 461,000 pounds of plastic.[27]

By the early 1990s, Oak Tree had become the only dairy on Long Island[28] and was trucking 18,000 gallons of milk each day from farms near Syracuse to the company's plant.[12] In 1997, a fire destroyed the dairy. It was rebuilt the following year.[29] By 1998, there were 54 Dairy Barn stores.[30] By 2005, the number had dropped to 51.[31]

In 2009, the company began downsizing and selling off its stores. By May 2010, locations in Smithtown, St. James, Patchogue, Farmingville, Center Moriches, Shirley, and Seldon had been sold to a single buyer.[2] In total, 38 of the remaining Dairy Barn properties were sold to Long Island City-based Simi Enterprises.[23] The locations were rebranded as simply The Barn.[32][33][34] The Cosman family closed the Oak Tree farm and sold the land to developers in 2012.[35][36][37][38] By April 2012, there were still 19 Dairy Barn locations and 25 The Barn stores.[39][40][41] The Barn had 22 locations in 2020[42] and saw success during the COVID-19 pandemic.[43][44]

In 2021, 28 stores were leased to Greek From Greece. This agreement ended the following year. By 2022, The Barn had one location in Huntington and one in St. James.[11] By 2023, multiple independent operators were running former Dairy Barn locations under The Barn and other names.[23][45][46][47] In 2024, 10 locations were sold to Ready Coffee.[4][48][49]

References

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  1. ^ Ambro, David (April 8, 1993). "Dairy Barn Seeks Kings Park Store". The Smithtown News. p. 6. Retrieved August 27, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  2. ^ a b c Ambro, David (May 20, 2010). "Oak Tree Farm Dairy continues downsizing". The Observer. pp. 3, 29. Retrieved August 27, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  3. ^ Licata, Paula Ganzi (2005-04-03). "WHERE WE LIVE; One-Stop Shopping, Right in the Car". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  4. ^ a b Winzelberg, David (2024-09-03). "Coffee chain buys former Dairy Barn stores in major LI expansion". Long Island Business News. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  5. ^ Angeliades, Aegina (2012-07-05). "THE BARN-new and improved". Syosset, NY Patch. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  6. ^ "Dairy Barn Stores". The Long-Islander. December 18, 1975. p. 4. Retrieved August 28, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  7. ^ "Pick Your Labor Day Goodies Here". The Long-Islander. August 28, 1975. p. 13. Retrieved August 28, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  8. ^ Lauren, Wennerod (July 20, 1995). "Take Your Best Lick". Northport Journal. p. 21. Retrieved August 28, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  9. ^ Gallucci, Jaclyn (August 12, 2010). "Snack Local: 7 Treats Born & Raised on Long Island". Long Island Press. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  10. ^ "Dairy Barn Stores". The Smithtown News. March 4, 1971. p. 15. Retrieved August 28, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  11. ^ a b Scheidlower, Noah (2022-02-09). "The Barn and Other Drive-Through Grocery Stores of Long Island". Untapped New York. Untapped Cities LLC. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  12. ^ a b c Rabinovitz, Jonathan (1992-12-19). "Dairy Wars: A Pitch to Local Pride; Ad Agency Fires a Protectionist Broadside on Behalf of L.I." The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  13. ^ a b Bonar, Samantha B. (2015-08-12). "The Life Aquatic". Occidental Magazine. Occidental College. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  14. ^ "Dairy Farm is Cream of the Crop". The Observer. August 14, 1975. p. 18. Retrieved August 29, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  15. ^ "Island's Only Dairy Rises From Fire's Ashes". The New York Times. 1998-10-25. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  16. ^ "Local Dairy Gets Write-Up in Ford Motor Publication". The Long-Islander. February 2, 1956. p. 19. Retrieved August 29, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  17. ^ "ABOUT US". The Barn. Archived from the original on 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  18. ^ "Dairy Barn Workers Form Picket Lines". The Record. September 10, 1998. p. 9. Retrieved August 27, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  19. ^ "Clarification". The Record. February 26, 1998. p. 10. Retrieved August 28, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  20. ^ "Grand Opening". Farmingdale Post. May 4, 1961. p. 2. Retrieved August 28, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  21. ^ "The Long Island Network". The Long-Islander. June 8, 1967. p. 8. Retrieved August 28, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  22. ^ "Bring On the Milk". The Smithtown News. May 13, 1971. p. 8. Retrieved August 28, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  23. ^ a b c Parrish, Tory N. (2025-02-14). "5 former Dairy Barns will open as Ready Coffee shops by end of summer". Newsday. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  24. ^ "Now Open". Ronkonkoma Review. November 25, 1972. p. 16. Retrieved August 27, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  25. ^ "A Recycling First". The Long-Islander. April 11, 1974. p. 4. Retrieved August 27, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  26. ^ "Plastic Surgery Needed For L.I." The Long-Islander. April 25, 1974. p. 19. Retrieved August 28, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  27. ^ "3-Millionth plastic container recycled by Dairy Barn". The Long-Islander. November 24, 1977. p. 50. Retrieved August 27, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  28. ^ Miller, A. Anthony (April 3, 1997). "Arson Causes $200,000 Damage In Elwood Dairy". The Record. p. 3. Retrieved August 30, 2025 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  29. ^ "Island's Only Dairy Rises From Fire's Ashes". The New York Times. 1998-10-25. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  30. ^ Morrison, Rob (September 10, 1993). "Milk Strike Resolved". The Observer. p. 8 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  31. ^ Licata, Paula Ganzi (2005-04-03). "WHERE WE LIVE; One-Stop Shopping, Right in the Car". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  32. ^ Sloat, Jennifer (2012-03-05). "Drive-Thru Convenience Store, Dairy Barn, Now The Barn". Kings Park, NY Patch. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  33. ^ Winzelberg, David (2023-03-03). "Entrepreneurs eye brand refresh, as former Dairy Barn properties hit the market". Long Island Business News. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  34. ^ Martinez, Marie Elena (2025-06-19). "The Barn opens in Huntington village". Newsday. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  35. ^ Morris, Deborah S. (2012-04-19). "Oak Tree Dairy may be converted to condos". Newsday. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  36. ^ Bush, Leah (2012-12-19). "Oak Tree Dairy: Elwood Has Two Options". Northport, NY Patch. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  37. ^ Winzelberg, David (2013-02-08). "Neighbors oppose Oak Tree Dairy redevelopment". Long Island Business News. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  38. ^ Morris, Deborah S. (2014-09-25). "Residents sue to block planned senior development in East Northport". Newsday. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  39. ^ Sweet, Jacqueline (2012-04-07). "The Barn Comes to Town". Babylon Village, NY Patch. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  40. ^ Conry, Tara (2012-10-21). "Lynbrook Dairy Barn Closing, Changing Ownership". Malverne-Lynbrook, NY Patch. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  41. ^ "The Uncertain Fate of Farmland". The New York Times. 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  42. ^ "HOURS & LOCATIONS". The Barn. Archived from the original on 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  43. ^ Winzelberg, David (2024-09-03). "Coffee chain buys former Dairy Barn stores in major LI expansion". Long Island Business News. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  44. ^ Scheidlower, Noah (2022-02-09). "The Barn and Other Drive-Through Grocery Stores of Long Island". Untapped New York. Untapped Cities LLC. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  45. ^ Winzelberg, David (2023-03-03). "Entrepreneurs eye brand refresh, as former Dairy Barn properties hit the market". Long Island Business News. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  46. ^ Sweet, Jacqueline (2021-11-15). "Nassau Dairy Barn To Become An Independent Drive-Thru Coffee Shop". Bellmore, NY Patch. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  47. ^ Vaglica, Joann (2022-02-14). "Buzz'd Express Coffee opens in North Bellmore". Newsday. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  48. ^ Ocasio, Victor (2024-09-06). "Ready Coffee buys 10 former Dairy Barn locations to open drive-thrus on Long Island". Newsday. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  49. ^ Marcus, Erica (2024-12-16). "Ready Coffee takes over Baldwin Dairy Barn". Newsday. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
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