People from other cultures are sometimes puzzled by our company name: Land O'Lakes, Inc. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions:
Where did we get the name?
In 1923, the cooperative that would later become Land O'Lakes, Inc. was called the Minnesota Cooperative Creameries Association. The fledgling co-op's sole product, butter, needed a catchy brand name. It was simply packaged as "sweet cream butter."
After several attempts to find a good name for its butter, it was decided to hold a contest to let the public submit names. Full-page newspaper ads were placed in all of the Minneapolis/St. Paul newspapers that said, "Prize contest…everybody welcome…$500 in gold for a name for Minnesota's finest quality butter…33 gold prizes for a few minutes fun. First prize $200 in gold; second prize $100 in gold; third prize $50 in gold; 30 additional prizes of $5 in gold…."
In 1924, choosing from nearly 100,000 entries, the judges selected the winning entry: Land O’Lakes. In 1926, the company name was changed to Land O'Lakes Creameries, Inc., and in 1970 the company name was changed to Land O'Lakes, Inc.
What does the “O” mean?
The "O" in the name “Land O'Lakes” is a contraction that stands for "of." While we have no documented explanation from the two 1924 contest winners as to why they chose to use the "O" with the apostrophe following, here is a possible explanation: “Land O'Lakes” is derived from the motto of our state of origin, Minnesota. That motto is "Land of 10,000 Lakes."
How do I pronounce the name?
The proper form in English is to pronounce the "O" by saying the name of the letter. Thus, Land O'Lakes is pronounced as three words: “Land” + “O” + “Lakes.”
How do I interpret “Land O’Lakes”?
The name "Land O'Lakes" is difficult for most interpreters, especially if English is their second language. It is usually best to have an interpreter translate the name into the local language equivalent of "land of lakes." Among skilled English speakers, however, the company should never be called "land of lakes."