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FeedHoly Cow
The stationery, sometimes, has a faint manure odor when it goes out in the mail. The owners milk the cows themselves and are the farmers of The Farmer’s Cow, a dairy company comprised of six different farms
The office is in a barn. The stationery, sometimes, has a faint manure odor when it goes out in the mail. The owners milk the cows themselves and are the farmers of The Farmer’s Cow, a dairy company comprised of six different farms in Connecticut: Fairvue Farms in Woodstock, Hytone Farm in Coventry, Mapleleaf Farm in Hebron, Fort Hill Farms in Thompson, Cushman Farms in Franklin, and Graywall Farms in Lebanon. “We’re the real deal,” says managing director Robin Chesmer. “We’re real farmers, not a corporate entity.”
The company is a true, small-enterprise success story. In the 1990s, the six farms started an organization called Very Alive, promoting the preservation of Connecticut farmland. As part of the effort, they began to offer tours of their farms. “People would always ask us, ‘where can we buy your milk?’” says Chesmer. “We had no answer. We were producing a faceless product. The milk truck picked it up and left. There was no telling where it was going.”
So the farmers found a bottling plant in New Britain that would keep their milk separate and sell it under The Farmer’s Cow label. Despite its seemingly down-home headquarters, The Farmer’s Cow is now a well-recognized brand throughout southern New England and New York. It has such a strong reputation for quality, naturally produced, artificial-growth-hormone-free, local products that the farms have been invited to supply a wide range of food shops, from small specialty markets to massive supermarkets, restaurants, and coffee houses. “We go to supermarkets and talk to the dairy managers. They’ve never had an actual farmer come in and talk to them—someone who actually knows what they’re talking about.”
And what they’re talking about resonates with health-savvy consumers. The farms grow their own feed for the cows, which eat a vegetarian diet of grass, corn silage, and some grain. The chickens are herbivores too, as well as antibiotic-free. One of the major differences between products from large-scale dairy operations and products from The Farmer’s Cow, says Chesmer, is the freshness. “Our milk and creams are not ultra-pasteurized. It’s not cooked as much so it tastes better. We’re not cooking the goodness out of it.”
And speaking of goodness, The Farmer’s Cow is now selling premium ice cream, with a goal of keeping the ingredients list as short as possible. They’ve also branched out into all-natural drinks including cider, strawberry lemonade, and iced tea. Chesmer and his farming friends believe the boom of farmers markets in New York and New England suggests that this is a good time for agriculture in the region. And it’s the positive, personal interaction they have with their customers that is most encouraging.
“People give us a lot of respect and it’s very rewarding,” says Chesmer. “Being able to provide people with fresh, local products and to see how the brand has grown is very exciting.”
