Variety Boosts Value Of Farm-Based Creamery

Variety Boosts Value Of Farm-Based Creamery DAIRY EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Hard times were hitting in 2017 as milk prices were dropping for Gary and Amy Blase Ethan S Dak Their son Chad who’d recently returned home to help with the family farm was determined not to let the family farm fail They turned to Laura Klock who’s an experienced entrepreneur She gave inspiration to the Blase family by helping them realize Amy’s lifelong dream of owning their own creamery and making their own products “I wanted to help make this a reality ” Klock says In 2018 the family purchased the Valley Side Farm Cheese business about an hour away in Crooks S Dak Blase and Klock received a customer list equipment and all of its inventory They learned to make cheese at the facility with the help of the creamery’s former owner Meanwhile a renovation was taking place at the farm Using space in the old dairy barn they created a cheese aging room and set up a cheese-making room Within a year they had their first batch of Farm Life Creamery cheese curds using fresh full-fat grade A milk from Blase’s parents 100-cow Holstein herd Says Klock “We’re like the Baskin-Robbins of flavored cheese curds We’ve come up with 45 flavors of curds so far ” Among those are the original unflavored curds and others like Kickin’ Maple Honey and Jamaican Jerk Farm Life Creamery also has rare small-batch artisan cheddar flavors like Bloody Mary Coffee and Chocolate Others include the more conventional flavors like Dill Caraway and Original Other cheeses they’ve mastered are colby gruyere and mozzarella Cheeses are sold in single packages as a cheese tray assortment or multiples in a gift box Their products are sold right on the farm where retail space was added to the original milking parlor They’re also marketed to grocery and convenience stores and butcher shops along with area restaurants hospitals and school food services The early months of 2020 just before the pandemic saw excellent sales With a vision of expanding their capabilities to bottling milk they applied for a USDA Value Added Producer Grant That fall the $50 000 grant came through It allowed them to add space and equipment on the farm to bottle their own grade A whole white and chocolate milk They were also able to market and ship their products to more stores and expand delivery options through online orders Today the Creamery is recovering well from pandemic lows In the summer of 2021 they hosted a grand opening complete with a full line of products in their retail store The event featured the debut of their own ice cream as well as a new playground and a mini golf course They continue to add value to the property and offer farm tours that are fun for the whole family Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Farm Life Creamery 41053 265th St Ethan S Dak 57334 ph 605 999-9824 or 605 999-9414; laura@farmlifecreamery com; www farmlifecreamery com

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