Crystal Cream & Butter Co.

Kenneth W. Hansen was born on April 27, 1909 in the living quarters above Sunset Creamery in Loleta, CA. Kenneth began working at Crystal Cream & Butter Co. at the age of 12 when his father and mother purchased the creamery in 1921. One of Kenneth's first jobs was making the wooden butter boxes which were used to transport the butter to customers. While attending Sacramento High School in the mid 1920's, Kenneth was responsible for making deliveries to customers before school. After school he and his brother Gerald, would wash glass milk bottles in preparation for the next day's business. Crystal was Kenneth's passion. Whereas, his brothers Vernon and Gerald pursued academic interests at Stanford University, Kenneth chose to remain in Sacramento and put his energies into building the family business. At six feet, four inches in height, with a booming voice and a commanding presence Kenneth was a natural salesman. Kenneth was able to turn his early delivery experiences into a life long connection with the retail trade. Kenneth was extremely loyal and supportive of Crystal's retail customers and they in turn were loyal to Crystal. Kenneth was active in the dairy industry as a member of the Dairy Institute and the Association of Independent Dairies. Kenneth was also active in the community as a member of the Lions Club and the Sacramento Transit Board. Kenneth was a "hands on" leader who led with tremendous energy, intuition, and integrity. Even in his fifties it was not beyond Kenneth to physically show an employee the proper way a job should be done. An example of Kenneth's integrity was when the Yuba City depot and the surrounding community was flooded in the late 1950's, much of the depot's inventory was salvaged and donated to local charities. When Kenneth heard Bud Roberts, Crystal's Office Manager, discussing the product loss with Crystal's insurance agent, Kenneth burst into Bud's office and made it understood that no claim would be filed because the product was a gift from the Hansens to the recovering local community. In 1972, Kenneth served a four year term as president of Crystal and then in 1976 Kenneth became the Chairman of the Board, a position he would occupy until his death in 1997. Even in his later years, Kenneth maintained his passion and keen understanding of the business. He would walk the floors of Crystal's production facilities daily (and sometimes nightly) talking to the rank-in-file employees and questioning managers. In his eighties, Kenneth remained a fixture in the sales department, often traveling to new store openings with sales representatives and quizzing them about all facets of business. Kenneth was a visionary who fully supported making a large investment in the construction and technology utilized in the Belvedere fluid plant in the early 1990's. Kenneth died suddenly of a stroke at the age of 88 in May of 1997. One day Kenneth was walking the production floor as usual and the next day he was gone. While, with Kenneth's passing the last surviving tie to the 1921 purchase of Crystal by the Hansens was gone, Kenneth's "can do" Viking spirit continues today through his son, Don, and many of Crystal's managers who learned so much about the dairy business from K. W. Hansen.

Carl Frederick Hansen was born September 4, 1876 in Bandholm (Laaland), Denmark. Carl grew up in his native city and attended the local public schools while working after school at a large, local creamery. It was there that Carl learned the art of butter making. At the age of 20, Carl entered the Danish Agricultural College graduating two years later with a degree in Creamery Operations. Interestingly, the Russian government, interested in colonizing Denmark at the time, financed Carl's college education. After college, Carl served a one-year term of service in the Danish Army, and then spent two years working for a Danish cow testing association. In 1901, Carl declined a job offer as a dairy instructor in Russia, and at the urging of his brother, Christian, traveled to Loleta, CA, to accept a job managing Sunset Creamery. Sunset Creamery was a very small operation with only 1 full time employee. Carl lived in the manager's living quarters located on the second floor of the creamery.