Pennsylvania based dairy, Trickling Springs Creamery, closed its doors amidst a state investigation into its finances.
The dairy is currently under investigation for selling over 7 million dollars in promissory notes to investors from 2015 to 2017. Allegations say these notes were sold to at least 110 investors across the U.S., and TSC failed to provide required financial statements. TSC executives Philip Reil, and co-founders Gerald Byers, Elvin Martin, and Dale Martin also allegedly received large sums of money from dairy bank accounts in early 2018, including a cash withdrawal of $1,184,318.
The company announced its closure on its Facebook page yesterday that the main processing plant would close the same day. In addition to the processing plant, two DC area outlet stores were also impacted, with their final business day being Oct. 5.
Trickling Springs Creamery was founded in 2001 by two friends who aimed to produce fresh, exceptional- tasting dairy products while promoting local farmers doing an excellent job with their farms. The founders started by establishing strict guidelines for the family farms producing their milk. The farmers were required to maintain grass-fed, heritage breed cows, produce very clean milk (as measured by SCC & SPC counts), and use no synthetic hormones. The founders offered to pay farmers above average prices for maintaining these high standards. Trickling Springs Creamery would then process the milk as minimally as allowed by law. These principles are still followed and in many cases have been strengthened to more strict standards of feeding and sustainability.
Trickling Springs has yet to make any additional comments.
