14 | More wanting milk direct from the farm Passionate about the health benefits associated with raw milk, Stuart and Andrea say the processing of main stream milk removes all the good bacteria. Richard Loader Located on the southern boundary of Timaru city and surrounded by lifestyle blocks, Stuart and Andrea Weir have been operating their successful raw milk business ‘Real Milk’ from their 100-hectare dairy farm, Glenwillow, since 2014. “We’re only a small farm and Real Milk adds value to what we do,” says Stuart. “It’s another form of diversification that every second farmer is having to look for these days. Given our location, increasing numbers of people were wanting milk direct from the farm so that was the driver to look at vending machines.” Providing the milk are fifteen handpicked Friesian cows, all fed a delicious diet of pasture, silage and brewer’s grain, milked once-a-day and kept separate from the main herd. “They’re milked ahead of the main herd in the afternoon so they’re in a spotlessly clean shed, hand-washed, iodine teat sprayed and then hand dried before the cups go on. We can just keep adding cows into the Real Milk herd as demand grows.” On-farm shop sales have remained static, with 80 – 100 litres sold each day from a regular and loyal customer base, while the purchase of a refrigerated truck six years ago has enabled home deliveries, suiting the busy lifestyles of the couple’s customers. “They leave their bottles out just like the old days, the bottles are picked up, sterilised and recycled. We’re probably delivering 100 litres from the truck on delivery days. We do Timaru city on a Monday and Tuesday evening. We also do Waimate on Tuesdays. Wednesday, we do Fairlie to Tekapo, which is a big run. Thursday is the busiest day, covering Temuka, Geraldine and Pleasant Point. We’re picking up a couple of customers each week, with a lot of that through word-of-mouth or seeing the truck pulling up at their neighbours.” Passionate about the health benefits associated with raw milk, Stuart says the processing of main stream milk removes all the good bacteria. DAIRY PEOPLE » Glenwillow Farm www.standrewstransport.co.nz Cell: 027 329 555 Phone: 03 612 6605 Main Road, St. Andrews PO Box 137, Timaru Email: satrans@xtra.co.nz Proud to be associated with Glenwillow Farm Jess Williams (03) 684 5184 jess@turnbullgrainandseed.co.nz Sam Thacker (03) 684 5184 021 0839 3321 sam@turnbullgrainandseed.co.nz “Raw milk is good for gut health, while homogenising the milk totally destroys the milk quality and that’s worse than just pasteurizing. We’ve spoken to a lot of lactose intolerant people who can’t drink pasteurized milk; evidence that the processing is destroying everything that’s good in the milk.” Let’s face it, as a kid growing up on a dairy farm there is also that lovely creaminess of raw milk that you just don’t get from processed milk. You still have cream on top of the milk in the mornings, and everyone wants to be to first to open the new bottle of milk - it’s just what people love to have. “And people are really into the glass bottles because there is no wastage,” adds Stuart. While Stuart is getting regular enquiries from cafés wanting to buy his raw milk, statutory regulations prevent him from selling to anyone other than an end user. “My argument is that with the strict testing and cleanliness processes we go through the milk is 100% safe, so we should be able to sell it to whomever we like, and it’s their choice. People know what they are buying. The regulations are just stifling people being able to access it in a commercial environment.”
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