The biggest news yet: Raw Milk Cartons coming Spring 2025!
We have purchased a carton filler to bottle Raw Milk into Half Gallon Cartons this Spring 2025!
Please stay tuned for more details in future Farm Letters (our weekly email newsletter) as this new process unfolds.
James stands in front of our carton filler at the factory in Chicago, IL.
We will be the first raw milk herd share to have milk cartons!
We have used plastic gallon and half gallon jugs since the beginning of Creambrook. They are lightweight, super clean, BPA free, easy to handle and to bottle into. Plastic jugs have worked well overall.
The decision to move to cartons was one that took considerable research and thought. We have contemplated switching to cartons for a few years. Ben and our 10 yr old, James, flew to Chicago to look at the carton filler for sale. They toured the facility where the fillers are made (an American company with fillers made 100% in the US).
What are the perks of switching to milk cartons?
More Environmentally-Friendly Packaging – a half gallon milk carton is 90% LESS plastic than their plastic jug counterparts
Streamlining & Standardization – moving all of our herd shares to half gallons means less confusion in members accidentally grabbing the wrong size when picking up herd shares at pick up locations
Increased Shelf-Life – Raw Milk stays fresh when exposure to oxygen is lessened. Storing raw milk in half gallons means your raw milk will last longer than in Gallon jugs
Plastic Twist Cap – parents especially love twist caps when little hands mistakenly drop milk jugs on the floor!
Better Storage Efficiency – A milk crate can hold 9 half gallons (4.5 gal volume) or 4 gallons, so we can fit an extra half gallon volume into every milk crate. This adds up exponentially in our walk in cooler space. This will also benefit by maximizing capacity at pick up locations and your home fridge, meaning more space at pick up sites for additional shares & new members!
This is only possible because of the new Creamery! The filler is easier to operate than our current bottler so our team will have better efficiencies with their time and labor in the Creamery.
– A few questions you may have –
Q. Does this change affect all herd shares?
A. Yes, all raw milk herd shares will be bottled in half gallon cartons. Raw Kefir and Raw Cream will continue in the current plastic bottle sizes.
Q. I get my raw milk in Gallons, how will this affect my share?
A. Gallon Shares will be updated on your Herd Share account by our admin team to reflect 2 Half Gallons Shares for every 1 Gallon Share. When raw milk is delivered in cartons, your pick up site list will show the number of half gallon cartons next to your name.
Q. I get my raw milk in Half Gallons, how will this affect my share?
A. Nothing will change for your account – you will continue to receive half gallon(s) as currently listed on your Herd Share account.
Q. When will this change to cartons happen?
A. We don't have a determined start date as the filler needs to be completed, shipped from Chicago, and then installed.
At this point, it will likely be before Summer.
Q. Why not glass bottles?
A. A few years ago, we researched glass bottles and encountered multiple issues.
1. When surveyed, less than 10% of our members were enthusiastic about glass.
2. Farms experience major issues with glass bottles not being returned or being dirty, needing extra washings, which create significant shortages and expense.
3. The added weight of the glass bottles would add up to 1,600 pounds to our delivery trucks, burning a lot of extra fossil fuel plus adding wear and tear to the vehicles. Additionally, the extra hot water and chemicals that are needed to clean the bottles have a high energy cost. The only way glass bottles make sense environmentally is if they are used multiple times, however based on what we have heard from our farming friends, this is rarely the case. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to manufacture and transport new bottles to replace bottles that are not returned or break before they reach the end of their life.
One thing to keep in mind is that as a 100% outdoor operation with our cows on outside in fields year-round, we greatly reduce any negative environmental impact from the jugs or cartons, transportation fuel, tractor use, or other energy inputs. Because the cows are on grass, we run our equipment a fraction of the amount of time that most organic/indoor operations require.
Q. What will the carton look like?
We have worked very hard to create a design that reflects everything we value at Creambrook – safe, clean, healthy Raw Milk from our grass-fed Jersey Cows! This is a prototype of the design and will be polished by a professional, but this gives you an idea! :)
Ben and I understand you may have more questions –
please know that we value each of your thoughts and questions!
More details will be shared in the coming months as we have more information and timelines.
Thank you for your patience as we finalize the many aspects of this exciting upgrade for the herd share!