SACOFOODS - Key Persons

Bartel Sanna founded SACO Foods in 1973 in Madison, Wisconsin. By then, he'd already been in the dairy business for nearly four decades, running Sanna Dairies with his father and brothers. Bartel Sanna, his father, Anthony, and his brother, Leon, formed Sanna Dairies in 1935 in the depths of the Depression. After the Second World War, two other brothers and a brother-in-law also joined the company. Sanna Dairies initially concentrated on fluid dairy products and distribution, as well as dried industrial dairy ingredients. After WWII, they introduced their first nationally marketed product, Sanalac, which was the first instant dry milk on the market. Many more consumer products followed, including another important "first"- Swiss Miss, the first instant hot cocoa mix. In 1968, the Sanna brothers sold their successful business to Beatrice Foods. A few of the brothers stayed on with Beatrice, but Bartel, who had never had a boss in his life, opted for retirement over corporate life.