Watch CBS News

Beloved Montebello Dairy Broguiere's Being Pushed Out By California Regulations

MONTEBELLO (CBSLA) — The squeeze of California regulations is forcing beloved Montebello dairy Broguiere's, known for its glass-bottled chocolate milk and egg nog, to shut down.

As the news of Broguiere's impending closure spread, helped along by a social media post from Gelson's Markets, owner Ray Broguiere says the sadness he's heard from loyal customers is bittersweet.

"It really makes you feel good, what they say," Broguiere said. "But at the same time, it makes you feel sad."

Broguiere's last day has not been finalized, but the dairy confirmed they have already made their last shipments to stores around Southern California and have sold out of their chocolate milk. Broguiere says he followed his grandfather around to learn the business, which has been around for 99 years.

"I've been coming to this property every day for 73 years," Broguiere said. "I've been coming to work every day since I got out of high school when I was a kid."

But doing business in California has become tougher for small businesses like his. He is not only having trouble competing with large corporations, Broguiere's is getting choked by more and more government regulations.

montebello-broguieres
(credit: CBS)

"The state, county, city," he said. "It's hard to do business if you're in manufacturing."

The community, which rallied to save the dairy a few years ago from being replaced by a freeway overpass, is devastated by the news.

"I said, 'no, they're just rumors,'" customer Carmen Calderon said. "But it's reality. The whole community is heartbroken."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.