Meet the girls at Miller's Dairy

It’s hard to believe it’s been just one year since Creemore celebrated the grand opening of Miller’s Dairy. Since then, the familiar glass bottles and the tasty Jersey milk they contain have become ubiquitous in these parts, and the notion of Creemore as a two-beverage town – we make beer and milk! – has been cemented into place.

On Saturday, July 13, Miller’s Dairy will indeed celebrate its first anniversary, this time with “Dairy Day” celebrations being held on John and Marie Miller’s County Road 9 farm.

“It’s a chance for our customers to meet the girls,” said Miller, referring to the herd of 120 Jersey cows that are responsible for the 1%, 2%, whole and chocolate milks that are processed in the building next to the milking barn. “And it’s also a chance for us to thank the Creemore community for the amazing support we’ve received over the past year.”

It has been quite a year for the fledgling company. When the ribbon was cut on the processing facility, Miller’s Dairy milk was available in five stores, including the Creemore Foodland and the Creemore 100 Mile Store. A year later, the milk is sold in 40 establishments stretching from Thornbury to Orangeville and from Bradford to Orillia. Included in the list is eight Foodland franchises and seven Sobey’s stores. And if current discussions come to fruition, the Millers should soon sign a deal that will put the milk into 25 more Sobey’s outlets across the Greater Toronto Area.

With those stores signed up, the Millers will be using the milk from all 120 cows for their dairy operation (currently, a little more than half of the milk produced on the farm goes into bottles and the rest is sold in bulk form to Dairy Farmers of Ontario, which markets milk to the major milk producers).

Utilizing all of the farm’s milk was the original goal for Miller’s Dairy, but no one expected it to happen so soon. The next decision, said Miller, is whether to keep growing – a move that would require bringing Jersey milk in from other farms, as Miller’s quota is capped at 120 cows.

“We’re not sure if we want to do that,” said Miller, “but time will tell.”

In the meantime, the Dairy Day event on July 13 will feature refreshments (including milkshakes, of course) and tours of the facility. The Millers are hoping for a large crowd, and especially hope to see lots of local folks there.

“The Creemore Foodland is still our number one outlet,” said Miller. “We’re so thankful to have such a supportive community, and we’re very proud to call Creemore home.”

Miller’s Dairy Day will take place on Saturday, July 13 from 11 am to 4 pm. The Miller’s farm is located at 7280 County Road 9, between Creemore and Cashtown Corners.