Our History
125 years of doorstep delivery, family values, and fresh Scottish milk
Kerr’s Dairy, officially known as John Kerr & Son Dairymen Ltd, has been a cornerstone of the Scottish dairy industry since 1900.
Now in its 125th year, the business continues to deliver fresh milk with the same dedication, care and community spirit that began on Balfield Farm over a century ago. Founded by Sandy Kerr, the original dairy delivered milk across Dundee using horse and cart , with horses ready to set off at 4am, every day of the year.
That commitment to quality and consistency quickly earned Kerr’s a reputation that would be carried proudly through six generations.
In 1920, Sandy’s son Johnny Kerr took over, expanding the business and introducing new practices.
His son John, known as Iain, joined full-time in 1950 and became the third generation to help shape the company’s future.
A major milestone came in 1961 when the original farm was sold to Dundee City Council. Johnny built a state-of-the-art dairy on Clepington Road, equipped with cutting-edge machinery that could fill 4,800 glass bottles per hour, a revolutionary step at the time.
Kelvin Kerr Snr began working at the Dairy full-time in 1977, eventually becoming Managing Director in 1996, leading the business through a new era.
In 1998, the dairy moved to Strathmartine Road as part of Dundee’s evolving landscape. The fifth generation arrived in 2008 when Kelvin Kerr Jnr joined as a shop driver, having previously collected money around doors as a teen.
By 2012 he had become a director and saw a chance to breathe new life into doorstep deliveries. He reintroduced glass bottles in 2018 and what began with 750 bottles per week quickly surged, reaching 100,000 bottles weekly in 2025.
In January 2020, Kerr’s took its first step beyond Tayside, launching deliveries in Aberdeen. With growing demand, a new depot opened in Bridge of Don that June. The COVID-19 pandemic massively accelerated this growth as more households turned to reliable, local doorstep delivery.
June in 2021 saw another major development as Kerr’s moved into a 4,630 sq ft headquarters on Ash Street, Dundee. In the years that followed, the business expanded further through the acquisitions of Thomson Dairies, Mills Milk customers, Robertson’s Dairy in Blairgowrie, North St Dairy in Forfar, and Müller Wiseman’s Aberdeen customer base.
By 2023, Kerr’s was serving over 20,000 customers, including 14,000 in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
And in 2025, its 125th year, the business marks this extraordinary milestone with a refreshed brand identity and the relocation of its Aberdeen depot to larger premises in Dyce.
From horse and cart to high-tech depots and tens of thousands of weekly deliveries, Kerr’s Dairy has always stayed true to its roots of being family-led, community-focused, and proud to deliver fresh Scottish milk the traditional way.
Here’s to 125 years and the next chapter of the Kerr’s story!