Thermo King customer’s milk delivery business experienced 500% growth

“Before COVID-19, I was servicing 100-125 customers. In a peak 30-day window during the pandemic, I had grown to 540 customers – I literally had to shut down our website for a while because I could not logistically do more,” said Jerry Richardson, owner of the home delivery business that started bringing locally produced dairy-fresh milk to neighborhoods in the fall of 2016.

Jerry is the modern day milkman and we first shared his entrepreneurial story in 2018. The single Thermo King-refrigerated van operator was one of the many Thermo King-supported businesses that found out just how essential his services are in times of need – and how appreciated it was as more and more folks were staying home and in many cases, afraid to go out if not necessary.

“My original customer base consisted primarily of families who appreciated farm-fresh nutritious milk and the nostalgia of front-door glass bottle delivery that also supported environmentally-friendly recycling efforts,” explained Jerry. “As communities adjusted to new norms and were looking for more options in home delivery, they found me and the word spread quickly.”

So quickly that Jerry found his milk delivery sales exceeding total 2019 revenues by the middle of May. A good thing considering the other part of his business, which consists of ice cream sales at local festivals and events, became non-existent because of mandatory cancellations.