We headed south to Schuylerville this month to chat with Jan and Jeff King of King Brothers Dairy about their delicious milk and ice cream, as well as their process - from cow to cup!
On Running A Family Business
We are a 125 year old business. Our grandfather and great uncles milked cows, bottled milk and delivered it in the Saratoga area. This continued until the early 60's when the creamery stopped, but the farm continued.
Today the farm is still a family run business, and has grown to include home delivery with over 200 items to choose from, wholesale and restaurant deliveries as well as an on farm store. Our products include milk, chocolate milk, buttermilk, cream products and over 60 varieties of ice cream.
We [brothers Jan and Jeff] run the farm and operate the creamery. Jeff's wife runs the farm store and ice cream production. Jan’s wife is a veterinarian and takes care of the herd's health.
Jan King at King Brothers Dairy
On the Importance of Happy Cows
Our cows are very important to us. We treat them just like they were our own kids. The happier we can make our cows, the more productive they are for us. We ensure they are fed the right diet in order to keep them healthy.
All the cows on our farm are registered holsteins (black and white). We actually keep track of each cow’s ancestry. We do this because we sell some of our high valued genetics to bull studs, and also so we can have some fun showing them at the local fair.
Production - From Cow to Cup
When we started processing and bottling our own milk, it was very important to us to be able to have a product that tasted better than what was already available. As we were constructing the creamery, we chose a little bit of old school technology that helped us achieve that better tasting product. We were willing to be a little less efficient in our process, use a smaller batch size and cold separate our product, all in the quest for better taste. We’re proud of our high quality product. It is a single source product with all milk coming from our farm.
The Offerings
We offer a full line of white milk, chocolate milk, vanilla milk, buttermilk, half and half, and heavy cream. We also make a premium line of ice cream in 60 plus flavors.
We do our own distribution, primarily in the Capital District, and some in New York City. Locally, you can find our products in Hannaford, ShopRite, and Walmart.
On Home Delivery
Ever since we were little kids, we loved seeing the old glass milk bottles and wooden delivery crates that our grandfather used to deliver milk. In 2010 we reinvented our grandfather’s delivery business, returning to deliver milk to homes in the local area. We started back up in the milk delivery business in 2010 and we had about 40 customers in the first few weeks. Today, we do well over 700 deliveries per week. We are like a farmers market on wheels, offering our products and other local products as well. Cheeses, yogurt, maple products, and fresh fruit and veggies when in season.
Our customers absolutely love the service and all the products we offer. They consistently remark on the superior taste of the milk, the convenience and the pride in supporting a local business.
The Farm Store
Our farm store has been open for two years. All of the products we offer on our home delivery can also be found here in the store. We have a dip counter offering about 40 flavors at a time, along with seasonal and other unique novelties.
The ice cream has been a huge hit. Many of the people who stop and try our ice cream say it’s the best they have ever had.
On Farm Life
I have loved living on the farm and in the country forever. Watching the sun come up over the Green Mountains is a favorite part of the day. I enjoy watching things grow that I have planted each spring, and smell of fresh cut hay and corn. Each of these things put a smile on my face.
I love the fact that we are able to have our Holstein cows and enjoy the milk that we make into awesome tasting products. Since having the creamery, it has brought us full circle. We plant the crops, harvest the feed and milk the cows. With the milk, we can make chocolate milk and delicious ice cream. There is nothing more satisfying than having a customer appreciate your product and have a connection with where it comes from.
On The Future
We are in the middle of an expansion. We are expanding our coolers, freezer and production area and making room to produce more ice cream so that we can offer it to other vendors than just our own store.
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Special thanks to Taste NY for making this series possible!
Taste NY at the Adirondacks Welcome Center offers nine state-of-the-art vending machines featuring food, beverages, and gifts from the Adirondack Region and across New York State. Find locally roasted coffee, cold beverages, chips, nuts, snacks, baked goods, milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, maple, honey, chocolate, candy, and artisan gifts.
Taste NY at the Adirondacks Welcome Center is operated by the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce.
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