DINWIDDIE, Va. (RealVirginia) — One Virginia dairy farm is continuing to expand its farm-to-table model, bringing products from the cow to store shelves in just days.
Richlands Dairy & Creamery co-owner T.R. Jones says the operation is one of the few processing plants in Virginia that takes products directly from the farm to the plant and then straight to consumers.
“If you want to come out visit the cows, see the cows — you want to have full confidence that the cows are treated well; you’re familiar with where your milk came from, your butter came from, your ice cream came from — you can go out, take a tour, tour the plant, see everything,” he said. “Then you can have confidence when you go to buy it that those cows are treated well and there was care put into every product.”
Jones says the dairy partnered with Route 1 Country Store shortly after opening, first supplying ice cream, then expanding into products like butter as demand grew.
General Manager and part-owner Isaac Loewen says the focus is on carrying products customers cannot typically find in larger chain grocery stores.
“We carry a lot of products here that you would not be able to buy at Food Lion, and so that’s one of the things that makes our store unique, we carry a lot of products, and we try to keep adding more to those products that you’re not able to buy just around your other local stores.”
Store leaders say the farm-to-table model also helps local producers reinvest back into their communities by giving them a consistent place to sell products outside of seasonal farmers markets.
