Zimmerman’s Dairy has been a staple in our area for more than 115 years.

The Lehighton business is perhaps best known for its “Gimmie Zimmie” advertisements, which feature a carton of Zimmerman’s Iced Tea.Iced teas, including green and peach tea and decaffeinated and diet versions, lemonade and orange drink are all made and packaged at the Bridge Street location in Zimmerman’s well-known plastic bottles and paper cartons.The building’s narrow exterior hides a mountain of bottling equipment, beverage ingredients and storage. Automated equipment allows one worker to fill, seal and crate approximately 130 pint cartons per minute.They order giant pre-mixed bags of flavoring with ingredient lists that include things like instant tea solids, lemon juice solids and lemon flavoring and citric acid. And bags and bags of sugar, which they order by the pallet.Water is chilled on-site before it is mixed with ingredients in a 600-gallon mixer.“I’m not aware of anyone else that does that, chilling the water. It makes for a better product,” said Dave Zimmerman, vice president of Zimmerman’s Dairy.Founded around 1900, the dairy and bottling company has been family owned and operated since its beginnings. The business currently employs 11 people, including four members of the Zimmerman family. Family members note that at least five generations have been involved in the business.“It goes back at least as far as my great-grandfather, and my nephews are involved now,” said Dave Zimmerman, who shares his title with co-vice presidents Frank and Tom Zimmerman III. “We see each other every day. For better or worse, how many families can say that?”Dave’s parents, Thomas Jr. and Pearl Zimmerman, remain active as president and treasurer/secretary of the business.Zimmerman’s began as a small dairy farm in New Mahoning, selling milk on the farm. By the turn of the last century, the popularity and demand for their milk had risen enough that they had four horse-drawn wagons leaving the farm daily to sell milk and produce throughout Mahoning Valley and Summit Hill.They became the first in our area to use glass bottles in the 1940s, when many dairy owners were faced with a choice: Install bottling machines and continue to grow, or sell off the cows. The Zimmerman family chose to expand.The family continued to bottle its own milk and dairy products until the 1980s, when it was no longer financially feasible. Today they sell milk and dairy products sourced from several Lehigh Valley and local farms.The business moved to its current location in Lehighton in 1967 after acquiring Guerstlauer’s Dairy and its building on Bridge Street. Within several years of moving, Zimmerman began packaging its own line of dairy drinks, including Zimmerman’s Iced Tea.“That definitely put us on the map,” said Zimmerman. “Our most popular product today is the pint tea. We sell more than a million paper pints per year.”While sales of paper pint teas have decreased slightly in recent years, customers have made up for this decrease by purchasing more gallons and half-gallons of tea.The well-known Zimmerman’s Dairy label can be found in stores and restaurants as far north as Hazleton and as far south as the Bethlehem and Allentown area.But as many locals know, it’s also possible to stop by the Bridge Street business to pick up a single pint or crate of tea.“People still pick up orders at the plant. They might want drinks for a party, or kids will walk up from the pool to buy a pint of tea,” he said. “We have people here all day to help customers.”Zimmerman’s products can also be found in most local schools, hospitals and restaurants.“It’s tens of thousands of people, making the decision to buy our product, that keeps us in business,” said Zimmerman, who noted that it’s only through community support that small businesses are able to stay open.“The community has been good to us,” he said.In turn, the company tries to support the community and often donates goods to public events, like the recent free swim at the Baer Memorial Pool in Lehighton.While many things haven’t changed in more than 115 years, one thing that has stayed the same — a focus on customers’ needs — has meant big changes to product offerings. Whereas just a few decades ago Zimmerman’s was focused on supplying a limited but reliable assortment of milk and dairy products, today they offer a wide variety of items to meet demand.“There’s been a shift in viewing our business as a product to viewing it as a service. Our customers are minimarts, schools, hospitals. They are more interested in the customer service standpoint,” said Zimmerman.The means meeting school and hospital requests for fat-free milk, including their new fat-free chocolate milk, and various size beverage containers that meet different dietary needs.“People want the service. We will hear requests for new things, and often many people will have the same requests at the same time,” he said.One noteworthy request? Drinks that fit into car cup holders.Today the business bottles plastic cylinder containers (perfect for cup holders) twice a week, alongside half-gallon and gallon plastic jugs for those who prefer to enjoy their Zimmie at home.