Colombo traces its roots to the kitchen of Rose and Sarkis Colombosian in Andover, Massachusetts. The year was 1929. Using yogurt cultures from her native Armenia, Rose made the first batch of Colombo yogurt over a wood-burning stove.

Up until that time, almost no one had heard of yogurt except the small group of immigrants who had come to America from the Middle East. However, the virtues of yogurt spread quickly by word of mouth, and soon Rose and Sarkis started a business, using a horse-drawn wagon to distribute the yogurt across northern Massachusetts.

The Colombosian's yogurt business remained relatively small until the early 1960s when the health benefits of yogurt gained a larger following. As a result, Colombo grew from a family business to became a leader in the refrigerated yogurt industry. Modern machinery replaced the old wood stove, and a fleet of refrigerated trucks replaced Sarkis's pick-up. But today, it's still just as good as if Rose were making it herself.

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Colombo® Yogurt Chronology:

1929   Immigrants Rose and Sarkis Colombosian begin making yogurt on their farm in Andover, Massachusetts with the recipe they brought with them from Armenia.

1940   The Colombosian family, filling Colombo yogurt in glass containers by hand, begins to sell the product throughout New England.

1941   Bob Colombosian and his brother, John, joined the family business.

1970   Colombo Fruit on the Bottom yogurt introduced.

1971   Colombo builds a new plant in Methuen, Massachusetts and introduces modern technology to the company.

1992   Colombo Light yogurt introduced.

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