Calder Bros. Dairy Marks 80th Anniversary With Commemorative Eggnog Bottle

Eggnog season has arrived at Calder Bros. Dairy, and this year the Downriver company's annual collectible glass bottle carries extra meaning. The 2026 design celebrates the dairy's 80th year in business and pays tribute to the Lincoln Park location where the company was founded in 1946.

The first glass bottles of the season are now rolling off the production line at the company's facility in Flat Rock. The commemorative bottles will be sold at the Flat Rock plant, at the company's farm in Carleton, and at its store on Southfield Road in Lincoln Park.

The Lincoln Park store holds special significance in this year's celebration. Its image appears on the anniversary bottle, recognizing the site where the family dairy got its start eight decades ago.

Alyssa Prawdzik, office manager for Calder Bros. Dairy, said the collectible bottle tradition dates back more than two decades. "We have a new one every year," she said. "So it started in 2002, and so every year we have a new one. This year's bottle is super special because we are celebrating our 80th year in business."

Inside the Lincoln Park store, shoppers have been filling their carts with a range of Calder dairy products. "So, I came for the cottage cheese today," said customer Fuji Makled. Tim Busen described himself as "more of a chocolate milk person than eggnog."

Plenty of other customers were already picking up eggnog in standard containers, and some shared how they like to serve the seasonal drink. "Put a little bit of liquor in there sometime, but it's delicious. We love it," said Donna Hickman. Coco Miller offered her own suggestion: "So, you add a little bit of rum, you know, and it's great!"

For devoted collectors, though, the bottle itself is as much of a draw as what is inside. Prawdzik said the dairy produces roughly 8,000 collectible glass bottles each year, and supplies typically run out before Christmas Eve.

"If you want one, you should get one early, because people get sad every year," Prawdzik said.

This season, the bottles represent both a beloved holiday tradition and a salute to the Lincoln Park storefront where Calder Bros. Dairy began its 80-year run.