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Posted By: Paul Muchinsky

Yes, the milk carton is vintage. The Joe Louis Milk Company was founded in 1954 (as best as records indicate), and was physically located on the South Side of Chicago. It stayed in business until the 1960s. The company itself played a major role in the Civil Rights movement in Chicago. Many grocery stories and supermarkets refused to shelve the product. Blacks in Chicago were very supportive of the product, but often had to travel a distance to find stores that stocked it. It is unknown how much of a financial position Louis had with the company. He had nothing to do with its operations. He was deeply in debt to the IRS at the time, and probably sold his name to the company for a pittance.