Developing an on-farm niche market to produce the very freshest and wholesome product for consumers takes extreme dedication to the project and a willingness to learn an entirely new career. Adding creameries to their dairy farms took years of planning through adversity, determination and tenacity for these two farms. One located in eastern and one in western Canada, these hard-working families work up to 100 hours a week to bring consumers the very freshest in dairy products including milk, cheese, yogurt and more.
Mistyglen Creamery, Ontario
Mistyglen Creamery began in June of 2022. The creamery and Mistyglen Farms are located in Belmont, Ontario and are next to the original Pettit homestead that was originally purchased in 1816. The current herd of 55 Holsteins dates back to 1957 when Murray Pettit purchased the current farm, which included a herd of hand-milked Jerseys. Today, the herd is milked with a robot and the “homespun milk” is used in the creamery. Tom and Kris Pettit, their daughters Maddie and Kadie work on the farm and run the creamery. Tom and Suzanne Pettit manage the herd of cattle.
Homespun milk, a motto of the creamery, originated after not one but two tornadoes hit the farm in 2020. Determined to rebuild the damaged areas of the farm and continue planning for a creamery made 2020 a year of determination and building. Building during the pandemic provided another challenge, but after two years Mistyglen Creamery began processing their milk on the farm.
Squeaky fresh cheese curds are produced every Friday and can be available sometimes during the week. They come in a variety of flavours and are quickly scooped up on weekends at the farm store.
Fresh-from-the-farm yogurt is produced in the creamery and sold at local markets throughout the area. Sweetened with local maple syrup, this snack provides the very best nutrients because it is low-processed.
Four days each week are dedicated to producing low-temperature, pasteurized, non-homogenized products. Mistyglen products are sold on-farm, in many local stores and farm markets or can be ordered directly from the creamery.
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Creekside Cheese + Creamery, British Columbia
Julaine and Johannes Treur own Creekside Cheese + Creamery in Agassiz, British Columbia. A 100% organic Brown Swiss herd, the road to 2023 literally has been full of roadblocks and challenges.
The herd is grass-fed and milked in a double-eight parlour. The cows graze from April until as late into the fall as possible. They rotational graze 2 acres per day on some of the 72-acre farm while the remaining acres are cropped with hay and a small amount of silage for the heifers. Julaine points out that silage and cheese production don’t go hand in hand as it can cause clostridial problems, so the cows eat dry hay only and receive no corn silage. No pesticides are used, and the only fertilizer is manure. Julaine shares that the process of becoming certified organic is long and the paperwork tedious but well worth it, as they have customers who come from far away to purchase their organic products. Each year, the farm is inspected to maintain its organic status. Today, they are producing A2 milk so that their customers can more easily digest the milk.
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Julaine shares the benefits of their milk: “Our family takes pride in following strict animal welfare regulations, ensuring that our cows are treated with respect and compassion each and every day. Our cows are fed mostly grass in the form of grazed fresh pasture grasses during the summer and hay and silage during the winter. Studies have shown that cows fed a predominantly grass-based diet produce milk containing more beneficial fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants. We gently vat process our cows’ milk in adherence to Canadian safety standards, and this small batch milk processing method results in creamy, full-flavoured, fresh-tasting milk. Our milk is not homogenized, meaning that the cream will naturally rise to the top.”
Initially, the Treurs pasteurized milk and began to make cheese in a trailer purchased from a retiring cheesemaker. Today, the creamery has expanded and two days each week, after morning milking, cheese is made. It can be aged eight to 12 months, depending on the type of cheese. It is also washed every other day for one week to up to one month and then set out to age.
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Racelette Cheese is their flagship cheese. This cheese is a mild introduction to washed rind cheese which is a semi-hard cheese with a warm buttery flavour and is perfect for melting or on a cheese board.
La Belle Vallee is only produced from May through August when the cows are on the lushest pasture. It is aged six months and has a mildly sharp flavour, with a dark washed rind and a golden interior. It melts for fondue or adds a unique flavour to a cheese board.
Creekside Cheese + Creamery also produces cheese curds, Gouda, fromage blanc, flavoured cheeses and a garlic belper for grating.
At Creekside, many customers stop in at the farm store and then tour parts of the farm to see where their products begin. Julaine and Johannes were strong advocates for agriculture early in their farming years and still believe that farm transparency is a key to their farm store success.
