Good News.
Here’s What People Are Saying About Kalona Organics!
Iowa Public Television Episode: Market to Market #3310
Iowa Public Television Episode: The Iowa Journal #102
KWWL News Episode: Tracking Produce - August 14, 2007
Milkweed Dairy industry journalist, Pete Hardin, touts Farmers’ All Natural Creamery milk as industry standard for nutrition in milk
Atlanta Journal Constitution Nonhomogenized
Organic Milk
Cedar Rapids Gazette Riding
the Organic Wave
The Capital Journal Tofu
Isn’t Pretty Stuff…
Des Moines Register Sales
of Locally Produced, Organic Food
in Iowa Reflects Strong National Trend
Corridor Business Journal Toiling Beneath the Sun
_____________________________________________
Dairy industry journalist,
Pete Hardin, touts Farmers All Natural Creamery milk as industry standard
for nutrition in milk
Straight Talk
By Pete Hardin
Milkweed
Best quality commercial milk I ever drank:
In late March, on my travels through Iowa, I stopped at the Farmers’ All
Natural Creamery, southwest of Iowa City, to learn more about their unique
operation. Farmers’ All Natural Creamery processes organic milk from
about two dozen “plain” producers. The plant produces non-homogenized
milk that is VAT pasteurized. The bottle of 2% milk I took with me
from that visit was the best commercial fluid milk product I have ever tasted.
If all fluid milk tasted that good, we’d need twice as many dairy cows
in the U.S. In fact, Farmers’ All Natural Creamery’s milk tastes
as good as what Aunt Lois and Uncle Bob used to put on their dairy farm kitchen
table back home in New Jersey.
Now when I say, best “commercial” fluid milk I’ve ever
tasted, that means Clover-Stornett’s milk (from Petaluma, California)
is now relegated to second place on the all-time “best” list.
And Byrne Dairy’s glass-bottled milk, which I enjoyed while living
in Syracuse, New York in the early/mid-1970s, is bumped back to third place
on the all-time “best” fluid milk list.
The milk from Farmers’ All Natural Creamery “gets it right” in
many categories, besides being organic: from small dairy farmers with an
eye for quality, many of whom graze; the product is not homogenized; the
product is VAT-pasteurized; and the product is sold in an attractive container
in which you can see the milk. P.S. My children rave about Farmers’ All
Natural Creamery’s “Dutch Chocolate” milk.
When tasting this milk, and having knowledge about some of the factors that go into its on-farm production and plant-processing, I must conclude in puzzlement: why can’t other fluid milk processors take serious steps to improve the nutritional value and flavor of beverage milk. Repeat: if all milk tasted as good as Farmers’ All Natural Creamery’s milk, we’d need twice as many dairy cows in this country!
_____________________________________________
By DEBORAH GEERING
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/19/06
What:
Nonhomogenized organic milk.
Why:
Nonhomogenized milk represents a movement among some dairy farmers to get
back to their roots. Nonhomogenized milk often comes from smaller dairies
that also emphasize humane treatment of the animals, a greater ratio
of grass to grain feed, and organic practices, including the banning
of pesticides and herbicides, antibiotics and hormones. Homogenization,
which breaks up and disperses the fat particles so they don't separate
from the milk, can also make milk harder to digest. Several dairies that
sell nonhomogenized milk report that customers who thought they were
lactose intolerant can drink nonhomogenized milk without a problem.
Where to get it:
Some health food stores. DeKalb Farmers Market sells Farmers' All Natural
Creamery milk in skim, 1 percent, 2 percent and whole milk varieties.
When it's available:
Year- round.
Pasteurization vs. homogenization:
Pasteurization — the process of heating food to kill harmful bacteria — of
retail milk is required by law. But homogenization is not a legal requirement;
it's simply a convenience. When milk is not homogenized, its cream floats
to the top. You can either skim the cream or shake it back into the milk
before pouring.
_____________________________________________
Riding
the organic wave
Kalona firm’s sales showing growth
By Dave DeWitte
The Cedar Rapids Gazette
May 5, 2007
Linking small local producers to a growing mainstream appetite for organic
food is proving a potent formula for growth at a small Kalona company.
Kalona Organics is a ‘‘virtual company’’ with a
staff of six working from their homes, and no main office. That has not
prevented it from supplying a large and growing base of distributors and
retailers with fresh organic foods.
Incorporated in January 2005, Kalona Organics ’ sales are growing
about 20 percent annually.
Products include organic milk, butter, eggs, cheeses and yogurt. This month,
the company begins selling farm-fresh organic asparagus and other fresh
vegetables from local growers in Corridor Hy-Vee stores.
‘‘We want to step in there and be the first one that ties together
the farmer, small processor to the marketplace,’’ founder and owner
Bill Evans said.
Evans created Kalona Organics after helping to launch Farmers All-Natural
Creamery in Kalona.
The creamery marked a departure from Evans’ previous career in corporate
finance.
Amish and Mennonite dairy farmers in the area had asked Evans for help
setting up the creamery’s banking and financial relationships.
‘‘I really grew to like it, and had somewhat of a knack that I
was not aware of for sales,’’ Evans said.
The businesses provide a profitable and stable outlet for local farmers
who want to produce dairy products without steroids, hormones or additives.
Although the market for organic foods is growing fast, small producers
are in danger of being bypassed by large producers with marketing connections
and pricing power,” Evans said.
‘‘Our model is helping good people
bring good products to your table,’’ Evans said.
The company developed relationships with established distributors of natural
and organic products such as Kehe Food Distributors Inc. and United Natural
Foods Inc., which has operations in Iowa City.
But Kalona Organics also has tapped into more mainstream organic suppliers,
such as Hy-Vee Stores Inc.
Hy-Vee sells Kalona Organics ’ milk under its private Health Market
label, spokeswoman Chris Friesleben said. Many Hy-Vee stores also carry
the company’s cheeses, butter and yogurt.
Hy-Vee stores in the Corridor plan to begin selling fresh vegetables sourced
locally by Kalona Organics this month, said Kevin Hormann, director of
Hy-Vee’s Marion store. The Marion Hy-Vee started a local produce
program with Kalona Organics last year.
‘‘We’re going to have fresh produce coming in twice a week
that is grown locally, and it’s going to be great benefit for us and
our customers,’’ Hormann said.
Kalona Organics ’ approach to new products can be seen in the launch
of its Cultural Revolution yogurt line in January. It handled the branding,
packaging design and distribution and worked with a couple of small Midwestern
dairies to produce the ‘‘European style’’ yogurt
with no artificial colorings or thickeners. New products under development
include organic cottage cheese, sour cream and cream cheese.
About 90 percent of the Kalona Organics products are sourced in Iowa, Evans
said.
Contact the writer: (319) 398-8317 or david.dewitte@gazette communications.com
_____________________________________________
Sales of Locally Produced, Organic Food in Iowa Reflects Strong National Trend
Kalona marketer caters to demand for organic food. Arrangement
puts eggs, milk, veggies from Mennonite, Amish farmers on store shelves.
By Jerry Perkins
DesMoinesRegister.com - Des Moines, IA, July 22, 2007
Straight to the Source
Wellman, Ia. - Farmers farm. Marketers market.
In the case of some Amish and Mennonite farmers in southeast Iowa and the marketing firm Kalona Organics, the twain shall meet to bridge the gap between producers and urban consumers.
Organic food has been the most rapidly growing sector in the food industry for several years, and demand for local foods, organic and otherwise, also is on the rise.
Bill Evans, 46, founded Kalona Organics in 2005 to fill that niche with the milk, eggs and vegetables produced by his farmer-neighbors in southeast Iowa.
This month, Kalona Organics will begin supplying Hy-Vee stores with organic produce, including cucumbers and zucchini and eventually, tomatoes, cantaloupe and squash.
"We're trying to get food as close to natural as possible from the farmer to the consumer," Evans said. "We're moving really fast. The organic field is expanding so fast, we're kind of getting dragged along with it."
Evans, who has lived in the Wellman area for 11 years, formed his connection with Amish and Mennonite farmers when he consulted them on selling milk and dairy products of Farmers' All Natural Creamery. He eventually became part-owner of the cooperative, which is majority-owned by 29 Amish and Mennonite dairy producers in Washington and Johnson counties. On Friday , the creamery's dairy products will debut at eight Super Target stores in Iowa.
Evans is involved in other ventures to tap into demand for local foods:
- He markets eggs for Farmers Hen House, a privately owned egg processor that packs 30,000 dozen organic eggs a day produced from cage-free hens. The eggs are purchased from Amish and Mennonite farmers in southeast Iowa and Tampico, Ill., and the eggs are sold in Dahl's stores and Hy-Vee stores.
- He has formed Cultural Revolution, a yogurt company he started with two partners in Wisconsin. The yogurt is sold in Hy-Vee and food co-ops.
Sales by Kalona Organics totaled $4.6 million in 2006, the first full year for the company, Evans said. He projects Kalona Organics' 2007 sales at $6.5 million, an increase of more than 40 percent from the previous year.
"Next year will be our big year," he said. "We're just getting our yogurt off the ground after falling six months behind our expectations. Organic sales are growing 20 percent a year in the U.S., and we should stay ahead of that."
The next step in the evolution of Kalona Organics will be organic meat, Evans said.
Kathy McCarthy, sales manager for Kalona Organics, worked as a produce manager for Hy-Vee for three years in its Marion store, where Kalona Organics test-marketed its organic vegetables last year.
The test was successful, said Hy-Vee's Marion store director, Kevin Hormann.
"We decided last year to test the appeal for locally grown products," Hormann said. "Usually, when we offer locally grown produce, it sells well. The perception is there among consumers that it's better."
Sales of organic foods totaled $20 billion last year after growing steadily for a decade, according to the Organic Consumers Association.
When sales of so-called "all-natural" foods - which are not regulated or certified like organic foods - are added to organic, the total is close to $60 billion, said Ronnie Cummins, national director of the association.
"We're talking some serious money," he said.
Much organic food is imported, however. Companies like Kalona Organics are attracting consumers who want food grown locally.
Tim Schlitzer of FoodRoutes Network, a nonprofit organization that promotes community-based food systems, said local foods account for only 2 percent of the food sold in the United States, but sales are increasing rapidly.
"In the last year, it's really blossomed," Schlitzer said.
Cummins, of the Organic Consumers Association, said the local food movement is "going to be huge as the energy crisis intensifies and we have to spend more and more money on transporting our food."
The trend is also being pushed by consumers who want to support local economic development, sustainable agriculture and family farms, and by gourmet chefs, said Mallory Smith, state coordinator for the eight Buy Fresh Buy Local chapters in Iowa.
"Farmers are really good at production, and some have a handle on finances," Smith said. "But often, they are not very good at marketing."
She saw more demand for companies like Kalona Organics that will do the marketing for organic and local food producers, who can then concentrate on doing what they do best - raising high-quality food.
Perry Yoder, an Old Order Amish farmer who sells milk to the creamery and eggs to Farmers Hen House, appreciates having a bridge to the consumer.
"It's a great advantage for me," said Yoder. "We can pool our products and they're responsible for the marketing."
Perry and Rebecca Yoder and their six children farm 90 acres of their own and rent another 32 acres for their corn, hay and oat crops. They milk 34 Holsteins, and their 5,000 laying hens produce 4,200 eggs a day for Farmers Hen House.
Mark Miller, who has owned Farmers Hen House for seven years, also likes the marketing and sales arrangement he has with Kalona Organics.
"We pack eggs," Miller said. "We don't need to be going out and doing the selling and advertising. They're already out there doing the milk. They just as easily can be doing the eggs as well."
Joanna Mouming, marketing manager for Kalona Organics, said marketing Farmers' All Natural Creamery dairy products and Farmers Hen House eggs is a natural fit with Kalona Organics' produce.
"It all comes from small family farms," she said. "One product tends to lead to another one."
Evans said there are other advantages. "If you're sending a truck half-filled with milk to Atlanta, you might as well have the other half filled with eggs," he said.
Farm Editor Jerry Perkins can be reached at (515) 284-8456 or jperkins@dmreg.com
_____________________________________________
Monday February 26, 2007
Toiling
beneath the sun
Corridor Business Journal
Reporter: Christina L. Erb
christina@corridorbiznews.com
Beneath the brim of Wallace Yoder’s corduroy hat, his eyes gaze out across his father-in-law’s 100-acre organic farm and toward the sun beginning its daily descent into the cornfields lining the horizon.
He’s a tall man and a thick brown beard lines his jaw, framing a youthful face. He stands quietly at the moment and it is his appearance and his plain, dark blue patched trousers and jacket, instead of his words, that tell a story.
Mr. Yoder is Amish. He leads a simple life; one devoted to God, his family, his community and his farm. His business is the farm, which he rents with his brother-in-law, Harley Miller. It is a venture that keeps him rooted to his faith and is financially dependent on how his family’s raw milk and eggs are introduced into the marketplace.
Two years ago, they were selling their products locally. Today, Mr. Yoder and Mr. Miller’s farm is one of about 26 — including 20 Amish, one unaffiliated and five Mennonite — that provide raw milk to Farmer’s All Natural Creamery, 1010 540 St., in Wellman.
The interdependent relationship between Farmer’s All Natural Creamery, Kalona Organics and these Amish and Mennonite farms is the keystone to these farmers’ success. The creamery transforms the raw milk into butter, milk and cheese which Kalona Organics distributes into the marketplace and the farmers are able to sell more raw milk for a better price.
The catalyst, which makes the relationship work, is Bill Evans, president of Farmer’s All Natural Creamery and Kalona Organics.
He joined the creamery as a financial advisor in 2003 and became its president in 2005. He realized that it wouldn’t find national success or financial stability without a marketing and distribution entity so in 2005 he founded Kalona Organics, an in-house marketing company that represents Farmer’s All Natural Creamery products, as well as other organic labels such as Westby, WI’s Cultural Revolution organic yogurt.
While the change to a cooperative-based business housed with a well-practiced marketing and distribution entity isn’t visible on Mr. Yoder and Mr. Miller’s electricity-free farm, it can be seen in their sales figures, Mr. Evans said.
“They used to make $10 per 100 weight (100 pounds) of raw milk. They are now making it in the upper twenties. It’s a radical change for a farmer,” he said, adding that the switch from local distribution to a co-op-styled creamery helped double these farmers’ take.
While the relationship between Kalona Organics, Farmer’s All Natural Creamery and the farmers themselves has been a success story so far for the Old Order Amish community situated around Kalona, other organic creameries utilizing Amish goods are not so lucky, Mr. Evans said.
The Golden Ridge Cheese co-op near Cresco went under in 2006, for example, despite the fact that its primary product, Schwarz und Weifs, is ranked among the world’s best blue cheeses, he said.
Three Old Order Amish communities used to provide raw milk to the co-op — and unless the co-op recovers, an unlikely possibility according to Mr. Evans, the Amish communities will have to continue to look for other jobs or new places to sell their raw milk.
“They had award-winning products but they didn’t have a sales team,” said Joanna Mouming, promotions and marketing director for Kalona Organics. “We tried to be helpful but we got in too late. There wasn’t too much we could do at that point.”
The Cresco-based co-op, she added, was so far away from main transportation routes that “astronomical charges” were being added onto the price of the cheese to cover its transportation cost, Ms. Mouming added.
But here in the rolling plains of the Kalona countryside, Kalona Organics is able to spread the transportation cost across all of its Farmer’s All Natural Creamery products. The creamery produces a growing number of products —butter, cheese and milk — and it’s relatively close to major transportation locales such as Iowa City and Chicago. Kalona Organics, in addition, ensures that the product is picked up by more chains nationwide.
On a late February afternoon last week, the Farmer’s All Natural Creamery was producing a record amount — about 6,000 gallons of processed milk or about 2,000 cases worth — for a Monday. It produces about 18,000 gallons or about 4,000 cases weekly and has the potential to double that amount.
“Amish farms are different. The technology is different. They are the main reason why we are here,” Mr. Evans said, pointing out that Amish culture doesn’t allow them to utilize electricity.
Grocery chains such as Whole Foods Market “trust” Kalona Organics, Mr. Evans added, saying that after their initial products were well-received by the public, grocery chains are now more interested in their other organic products.
The future, however, remains uncertain despite Kalona Organics’ footing in the marketplace. Farmer’s All Natural Creamery came into being during the heart of the organic milk shortage. It’s a shortage that is expected to change into a surplus this summer as big-name companies begin to introduce their own organic labels for less cost.
Back on his family’s sprawling farm, Mr. Yoder nods at the sky. The setting sun marks the time; it is nearly five o’clock and the 23 cows, which are jostling one another for warmth and food inside the barn, need to be milked for the second time that day.
It’s an hour-long process, he said, one where he collects the cows, lines them up in their stalls, cleans and sanitizes their udders, collects their milk and then covers their nipples in an iodine mixture to prevent infection or disease.
The cows are his responsibility for the month. In March, he and his brother-in-law, Mr. Miller, will switch duties and he’ll take care of the farm’s hens.
Mr. Yoder’s days and livelihood revolve around his land. With the cost of good farmland rising, his family’s working relationship with the creamery provides them with enough money to invest in new land and, perhaps someday, new communities.
“It gives us more hope,” he said.
