"Scholle" Dispenser cases

External dimensions: 10.5" L x 17.5" W x 10" H

This unusual sized milk crate type has an equally unusual use in the dairy industry: holding and transporting large 5-gallon plastic bags of milk, and dispensing the milk from the bag. The bag-in-box format is useful for transporting larger volumes of milk to foodservice or industrial settings, while minimizing packaging: just one thin plastic bag to hold 5 gallons of milk, and the crate which can be continually reused.

The crate's unusual design caters to this purpose: while most modern milk crates have open latticed sides, these dispenser cases are solid-walled, to prevent damage or accidental puncturing of the thin plastic bag inside. The unusually shaped handles include a semicircular cutout, seemingly to allow a spout or hose to be attached to dispense the milk. "Cut-out" sections along the top of the crate allow a lid to be placed on, further protecting the bag inside, while still allowing these crates to be stackable.

It appears that the first manufacturer of this type of crate was Scholle Corp., a packaging manufacturer specializing in "bag-in-box" packaging, and the crates were first produced in the late 1970s. The crate design appears to have become a standard design, and has since been produced by several other manufacturers. It appears that currently, Rogers Mfg. Co. is the only manufacturer still producing this type of dairy crate.

Though less common than typical milkcrates because of their niche use, these crates still seem to often end up in the hands of everyday people, used for everyday storage, and are still a common sight in thrift stores, junk shops, and everywhere else milk crates tend to turn up.

Manufacturers

SCHOLLE CORP.

Scholle Corp. appears to be the earliest producer of these dispenser cases, first making them in the late 1970s. The design is very plain compared to later designs made by other companies.

REHRIG PACIFIC

Major milk crate producer Rehrig Pacific appears to have begun making dispenser cases very soon after Scholle introduced them, with the earliest examples also being from the late 1970s. The crates are branded "HUSKYLITE", like other Rehrig Pacific milk crates. The design differs from Scholle's by adding additional reinforcement on the sides of the crate, adding handles on the sides, and making the main handles wider. However, the earliest Huskylites' handles lacked the semicircular cut-out on the handles for attaching a hose/spout, though fairly quickly the feature was added to later Huskylite dispenser cases.

PIPER INDUSTRIES / PIPER CASEPRO

Dispenser cases made by Piper Industries have been observed but I have not had the chance to photograph one. Visitors are encouraged to Send Photos if you have a crate of this type marked Piper Industries or Piper Casepro.

ROGERS MFG. CO.

Rogers Mfg. Co. appears to be the only company to currently produce these dispenser cases. Rogers' dispenser cases feature the same distinctive "honeycomb" pattern Rogers uses on their Standard 16oz. Dairy Crates. The cases otherwise resemble other dispenser cases.

Images on this page were taken by VOYAGER ANNELID unless otherwise noted.