In 1945 the Dake brothers purchased a small dairy and ice cream business in Ballston Spa, this was the first Stewart’s ice cream shop. Today, Stewart’s Shops employs over 5,000 people and operates over 350 shops across New York and southern Vermont. Our rich, 75-year history and success stems from our vertical integration, employee ownership and strong company values.
Family and Employee Owned
Stewart’s Shops began as a family business and is still run by second and third generations of the Dake family. Bill Dake, still comes in to the office every day, even in his 80’s, and is very involved with the strategy and day-to-day operations. Bill serves as the Chairman of the Board. Bill’s son, Gary Dake, is the third generation Dake to act as President and has worked in the company over 35 years. Stewart’s Shops is not just a family business it’s also employee-owned.
Expect better, friendlier service from our partners because they have an increased sense of pride in their work; our employees own over 40% of the company through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), known as “Profit Sharing.” That’s why our employees are called “Partners.” Unlike a 401K, the ESOP is 100% company paid.
For more information on our ESOP, as well as medical insurance, benefits and paid vacation offered at Stewart’s Shops, visit our careers & benefits page.
Vertical Integration
We distribute over 75% of the products we sell. We produce our award-winning milk and ice-cream in our dairy in Greenfield Center. Our distribution and manufacturing plant covers more than five acres of a 50-acre parcel in Greenfield, just outside of Saratoga Springs.
Farm Fresh Dairy
When we say fresh and local, we mean it! Our New York State Certified Milk and New York State Grown and Certified Eggs are collected daily from family farms near our plant. The New York State Certified program recognizes agricultural products that are local, made by producers who meet safe food handling best practices, and demonstrate environmental stewardship. The certified seal includes Stewart’s milk, ice cream, half and half, heavy cream, as well as eggs. We pick up our milk from 20 local dairies. We then bring the raw milk to our dairy, pasteurize and package it. This all happens within 24-48 hours of leaving the farm!
We pick up over 48,000 eggs daily from the Thomas’ Poultry Farm in Schuylerville which is just 15 miles east of our plant.
Making Our Communities Stronger
We are committed to growing strong communities. Together with the Dake Foundations, Stewart’s Shops donates $9 million to local non-profit organizations. We collected more than $1 million through our 2022 Holiday Match Program from Thanksgiving Day through Christmas Day, with the Stewart’s match, that’s more than $2 million for the kids in our communities! Learn more about how we give here.
