A photograph of William Lawrence Kraft showing his Drouin Co-operative Butter Factory workers a silver cup they had won in 1944.
Known as Bill, this "snapshot" is the second in a series focusing on the Drouin "Co-op" manager.
With the Co-op supplying the Melbourne milk market, Bill began plans for a larger and expanded state of the art facility in 1936.
Plans were made for a new factory to be built in Lardner Rd. A wide road capable of taking tankers and trucks was constructed, an avenue of trees planted and the new factory built.
Once the factory began operations, it handled 20,000 gallons of milk per day day and was the largest employer in the district.
Drouin became producer of butter, cheese and cream with its own tankers and trucks taking milk and milk products to Melbourne. The transport company carried the slogan "Drouin: Best by Test" and was Victoria's first dairy transport company, all thanks to the visionary leadership of Bill Kraft.
Bill expanded every part of the Drouin factory's capabilities, winning awards and the accolades of his Australian dairy peers.
The old butter factory was turned into a grain mill, where grain once crushed was bagged up and supplied to farmers to feed their herds throughout the year. This enabled the factory to supply milk and milk products at all times of the year.
In the days before supermarkets, the factory supplied milk in cartons. Milk in glass bottles was delivered door-to-door from dairies who bottled the milk delivered by tankers from suppliers like Drouin.
Bill also forged links with Japanese markets. In post-World War II times, this move was not welcomed by many.
However, Bill built bridges and learnt first-hand about casein production during countless trips to Japan.
The Drouin Co-op added casein manufacture to its production lines and was able to manufacture 45,000 gallons of milk each day into hydrochloric casein.
In January 1968, Bill received an OBE for his services to the Australian dairy industry.
Bill retired as managing director of the Drouin Co-op at the age of 70 in 1970.
Photograph courtesy the Drouin History Group via the "Drouin: A Small Town at War" collection of 1944.
Information courtesy of Stories of Drouin, a cooperative oral history project between The Committee for Drouin, Drouin History Group and 3BBR FM to preserve local stories.
To hear more of Bill Kraft's life as told by his son Graham, visit storiesofdrouin.com.au.