Arethusa Farm Dairy introduces 1% milk
By Susan Pearsall (8-20-09)
Arethusa
Farm Dairy this week added 1% milk to its line of all-natural, farm
fresh milk products sold at local health food stores and grocery
markets. The milk is now sold at Stop & Shop in
Litchfield, which is a new outlet for the dairy.
In
June, the Litchfield dairy began selling half-gallons of whole milk, 2%
milk and half-and-half produced by its herd of Holstein and Jersey
cows.
Originally,
farm owners George Malkemus III and Anthony Yurgaitis, planned to
expand the product line gradually. But their customers had other
ideas.
“The
requests for 1% milk started right away,” Marketing Manager Terri
Packard said Wednesday. Last weekend, the 1% milk was
offered for tasting at Litchfield's outdoor farm market.
“People
were quite pleased with it,” said Packard. “It has a lot of
taste. Usually 1% milk tastes like chalky water.” Packard
said tasters found Arethusa's 1% milk comparable to other brands' 2%
milk.
Until
last week, Arethusa's 2% milk “was by far our largest seller,” said
Packard. Typically, market customers buy twice as much 2%
milk as whole milk.
Last weekend, the 1% percent milk “took a big share of the sales, to the point that all three products sold equally,” she said.
Arethusa's
milk products have gained a following with customers because of their
unusually fresh, rich taste. Packard says the quality comes
from the low-temperature pasteurization process used at Fish Family
Farm Creamery in Bolton. All Arethusa milk is pasteurized for 30
minutes at 145 degrees, then cooled quickly. Most other brands of
milk are pasteurized at 280 degrees for less than a second.
Intense heating changes the flavor of milk, but yield a longer
shelf life.
The
milk is bottled and delivered to store shelves within 48 hours after
milking. The farm's emphasis on local production, bottling, and
distribution is part of its “green sustainable focus on minimizing the
carbon footprint,” said Packard.
Lynette Kyasky of Milton purchases a gallon of Arethusa's 2% milk each week.
“I
think it tastes richer,” she said. “It doesn't taste like it's
watered down to me, as much as the other brands.” Kyasky
likes the fact the farm's cows do not receive artificial growth
hormones. Her husband, Thomas, is a local woodworker, who
makes a point of supporting other local businesses.
Currently,
Arethusa's milk is sold at 12 locations, including The Market, Tilden's
Seafood, and Stop & Shop in Litchfield; Big Value Supermarket in
Bantam, and Big Y Supermarket in Torrington.
“We're on target with what we planned for sales,” said Packard.
In
June, the dairy sent 300 gallons per week to the creamery for bottling,
she said. That amount has increased about 400-450 gallons per
week. Next month, the dairy expects to bottle 600 gallons per
week.
The
farms cows produce about 4,500 gallons of milk per week, said Packard.
Milk that is not bottled is sent to Marcus Dairy in Danbury,
where is it pooled with milk from other farms.
Milk
nearing its sell date is donated to FISH in Torrington, where it is
served at meals, said Bill Burgess, dairy business manager. The
dairy also provided milk at a discounted price to Education Connection
of Litchfield, which operates a summer program for children at Coe Park
in Torrington.
“It’s a way of creating sustainability and community connections,” said Burgess.
Free
barn tours are offered at Arethusa Farm every Saturday from 1:30-3 p.m.
The farm is located at 565 South Plains Road (Route 63) in
Litchfield. Videos showing the dairy operation, from milking to
bottling, can be viewed at: http://www.arethusafarmdairy.com/.
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