“For my family and our company, we are deeply saddened by his passing,” said company President Carmine Catalana IV, the oldest of the Catalana siblings. “He led our company for many, many years. Without his leadership, both our family and our company would not be where we are today.”

The storied history of Cumberland Dairy begins back in Bridgeton, N.J. in 1933. Charles Catalana and his wife Elizabeth formed the business in a garage at their home on South Avenue.

Carmine had grown up in the family business, spending three years with Cumberland Dairy before joining the U.S. Army in 1951 during the Korean War years. He returned from the service in 1954 and partnered with his parents to expand the business, which boomed in the following decades.

In 1974, McDonald’s called upon Catalana and Cumberland Dairy to pump up their production when the company’s main dairy supplier fell through. McDonald’s eventually offered Cumberland Dairy as many stores as it could handle. Cumberland Dairy later became a full-service distributor and processor for the company — a relationship that would stretch over three decades.

In 1985, Cumberland Dairy gained nationwide attention for installing an ultra-high temperature pasteurization system that gave products a longer shelf-life.

Some of his many appointments included the board of directors of the New Jersey Food Processors Association and past president of the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey.