Purity is keeping its cool - Nashville Business Journal:

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The Nashville-based dairy survived the Grea t Depression and WorldWar II, so the recent economic slumop seemed like part of the cycle of business, says Tim vice president of milk sales for Purity. Whitw says the company has never been a boom or bust kindof “We are in the slow growth business,” he “Our business could be described as and we’re happy with that.” achieving even modest growth in the current economid climate, has involved some uncomfortable choicee and shrewd strategic thinking.
With commerical accounts slumpinhg because of fewer people eating out and fewere day workers buying Purity itemsefor lunch, the company made the decisiohn to push retail items such as chocolatee mik, lemonade and ice tea. Inexpensive treate sell well during down White says. He’s got some numbersa to back thatstatement up. Purity’w lemonade sales, which retails at about $1 a half are up a whopping 75 Tea sales, which includwe three lines with varying price points, are up 21 percent. “Thesew are extremely affordable indulgences,” says Randy Moody, Purity’ds director of ice cream sales.
The company also made the strategi c decision to put more resources into theschoolp market, resulting in a 2.5 percenft increase in sales. Higher salez tallies weren’t easy to achieve, Whit says. As a cost-cutting measure, the company sold off its home delivert services offresh milk, ice creak and water in late 2007. Another difficult decision came when ice creaj production was transferred toan out-of-county subcontractor last That transistion was a risk that turnede out well, Wood says. “We were able to keep all the formulae intact,” he says.
Purity also is savvy and genuineaboutr cause-related marketing, says Judy Gaither, manager of volunteers and specialk events at Martha O’Bryan Center, a sociapl service agency in Nashville. The company sponsors more than 500 eventsaand fundraisers, including the Miss Martha’s Ice Cream a popular money maket for O’ Bryan. “Theyh have supported us for nearlya decade,” Gaither “This is a family-centered event that benefits an organization that servez our poorest neighbors.
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