A stalking horse buyer whose products are a staple at local supermarkets is looking to save Oberweis, the dairy company with an ice cream shop in Schererville and whose products are sold at many Region grocery stores.
Oberweis, headquartered at 951 Ice Cream Drive in North Aurora, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago to seek debt relief while it continued to operate and pursued a sale.
Illinois businessman Brian Boomsma, who founded Dutch Farms in 1987, has put in a bid to purchase nearly all the assets of Oberweis if the deal is approved by a bankruptcy court judge.
His plan is to continue to operate and grow Oberweis.
"We are thrilled to have a business leader like Brian Boomsma interested in investing in Oberweis and enabling the company to continue to move forward and prosper," Oberweis President Adam Kraber said. "We continue to be grateful to our loyal customers, vendors, and committed employees who have supported us through this process."
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Oberweis runs an ice cream parlor at 725 Main St. in Shops on Main in Schererville. Its dairy products are sold at supermarkets across Northwest Indiana and the south suburbs, including at Jewel-Osco, Meijer, Al's Supermarket in Michigan City and Pete's Fresh Market in Calumet City. It also offers home delivery in Northwest Indiana of dairy products like milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream.
The dairy company started in 1927, 12 years after founder Peter J. Oberweis started selling excess milk from his farm to his neighbors in Kane County. The family-owned business operates ice cream shops around the Chicagoland area.
Oberweis hopes to emerge from bankruptcy and sell the company in late June.
"The Oberweis team continues to be optimistic about the future of the company and building on nearly 100 years of providing the highest quality dairy products and service to our customers," Kraber said.
Chicago-based Dutch Farms sells dairy, deli, meat and bakery products. It sells eggs, cheese, milk and other farm-fresh products at Strack & Van Til and other local supermarkets.
A look back at Northwest Indiana businesses that closed in 2023
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