Meadow Gold Hawaii to be bought

Producer of POG drink saved

POG lovers can breathe a sigh of relief after a prospective buyer surfaced for Meadow Gold Hawaii, which produces the beloved passion fruit, orange and guava drink.

Dean Foods, the parent company of Meadow Gold Hawaii, said Wednesday that it had reached an "agreement in principle" with Industrial Realty Group LLC for the sale of its Meadow Gold Hawaii operations as an "ongoing business."

In November 2019, Dean Foods and its wholly owned subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Since then, parts of Dean Foods have been sold off.

On Tuesday, there were media reports and even emails to local Maui distributors saying that Meadow Gold's production would cease in the middle of the month with statewide operations closing by the end of April.

But a spokeswoman for Dean Foods said, "unfortunately there was some confusion as the IRG purchase agreement missed the initial deadline when bids would be made public."

"Since there appeared to be no interest in the Hawaii business, it was communicated that we were going to have to close the business. Thankfully, this has since changed," Anne Divjak, vice president of government relations and external communications for Dean Foods Co., said on Wednesday morning.

Pursuant to the agreement, which is subject to final approval by the Bankruptcy Court, Industrial Realty Group will acquire the assets, rights, interests and properties relating to Dean Foods' Hilo and Honolulu facilities. Industrial Realty Group will be partnering with 8 Cow Dairies, a Hawaii-based company, to manage operations, a news release said.

Asked about Maui's facility in Kahului, Divjak said it would be up to the new owners to decide once the transaction closes. She added that "our understanding is that the facilities are being acquired as an on-going business and thus will remain in operation."

A staff member at the Kahului Meadow Gold office referred calls to Divjak.

"We are committed to completing this transaction, and our previously announced sales, as quickly as possible, and we thank all of our employees for their continued patience, hard work and dedication," said Eric Beringause, president and CEO of Dean Foods, in a news release.

In 1999, Meadow Gold bought Haleakala Dairy, which created the POG drink. Along with the drink, the dairy produced POG milk caps, which were modeled after the old-time milk cover games. POG games have since gone international.

Meadow Gold has had its share of owners and became part of Dean Foods in 2001.

POG and Meadow Gold have created their share of iconic characters that are popular with island children. There was the Izard of POG and now, Poglodyte, a fur-ball character with skinny arms and legs. Residents also are familiar with Lani Moo and Kawika Moo cow characters for Meadow Gold milk.

Maui Council Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura, who years ago handled promotional items for Meadow Gold, did hear the initial reports of the closing Tuesday and was saddened, while reflecting on the history behind the company, including Haleakala Dairy.

But when she heard the update Wednesday, she was ecstatic.

"Miracles happen!," she said via text message. "Lani Moo lives on for future generations."

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.