Meet Milo Jones, the Founder of Jones Dairy Farm

Jones Dairy Farm’s 131-year-old legacy begins with one man and his mother’s timeless sausage recipe. Milo C. Jones was the son of one of the first families to settle in the small town of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. In 1832, his parents traveled from Vermont to settle in their new home, where they made their living as dairy farmers.

Milo’s father was one of Fort Atkinson’s most prominent citizens and served as the town’s very first mayor. Throughout the years, the Jones family was involved in various businesses, including a hotel, a tavern and even a race track. Eventually, Milo took over his family’s dairy farm. At the age of 35, however, he was struck with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that leads to severe joint damage. Confined to his bed, Milo was unable to operate his parents’ beloved farm.

Nonetheless, Milo had a knack for innovation and entrepreneurship, and his family’s pioneering spirit would not end with him. He couldn’t work in the field, but what he could do is recreate his mother’s all-natural, homemade breakfast sausage recipe. Pork, water, salt and spices: these same, simple ingredients that Milo used more than 131 years ago continue to be the basis of Jones Dairy Farm’s line of gluten-free sausage links, patties and other delicious products today.

At first, Milo sold his product to neighbors and friends in surrounding communities. It wasn’t long until his business grew to include a manufacturing facility and loyal customers throughout the United States. In 1932, Jones started exporting its products. Jones Dairy Farm products are now available in countries all over the world, including Japan, Mexico, Hong Kong, Canada and more.

Jones Dairy Farm began in a single kitchen located inside the family’s iconic farmhouse. Pictured in the company logo, the farmhouse is still a part of the Jones Dairy Farm grounds and continues to be the site of family and corporate events to this day. Built in 1906, the company’s original manufacturing facility is now the Jones Market, which includes a deli and retail area open to the public. On display at the market is Milo’s wheelchair, a lasting symbol of Jones Dairy Farm’s history and the person who started it all.