What Makes Milk “Good”? Ultimately, quality dairy starts with healthy animals and responsible farming practices, which then translate into products that are safe, nutritious, and delicious. Here are some qualities you can look for to find quality dairy:
1. High Fat and Well-Rounded Nutritional Value
When it comes to nutritional quality and flavor of dairy, we believe the goodness is in the fat. High fat dairy is more nutrient-dense, meaning there are more nutrients per serving and each serving keeps you feeling fuller, for longer. There are more good-for-you fatty acids like Omega-3s and CLAs per serving in high fat dairy. Milk, when sourced from healthy cows on healthy soil, is a nutrient-dense superfood and an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, phosphate, B vitamins, Vitamin D, iodine, potassium, healthy fats, amino acids, energy (from lactose), and protein.
2. Pleasant Flavor, Odor, and Texture
It sounds obvious, but milk should taste, smell, and feel good! Fresh, delicious milk will have a creamy and slightly sweet flavor, with no obvious pungent smells that may indicate spoilage or contamination. Higher fat dairy like our A2/A2 Organic 4% Whole Milk and 6% Whole Milk, and seasonal full fat dairy like all of our 100% grass-fed products, will have a creamy and rich texture that feels good in your mouth.
3. Limited Processing, but Pasteurized
When it is safe to do so, the most delicious foods tend to be those that are the least processed. We love letting our healthy environment shine through the quality of our dairy. Less-intense processing can help preserve the natural taste and the highest count of nutrients, which is why our bottled milks are non-homogenized and showcase a delicious cream top.
However, pasteurization, a form of preservation where milk is treated with mild heat, is important for safety because it eliminates pathogens and extends a product’s shelf life. There are multiple methods of pasteurizing milk. For our west coast-distributed milks and cream, we prefer a “low and slow” Vat pasteurization that retains a high flavor profile for the milk while maintaining a minor percentage of the milk’s natural enzymes and beneficial bacteria. This means that the milk has more life in it, so the shelf life of our bottled milk and cream is shorter than most.
For our nationally-distributed milk, we opt in for a higher temperature pasteurization that extends the shelf life and enables folks all around the country to access our digestible A2/A2 organic dairy.
4. Certified Organic
“Certified organic” means that a food has been third-party verified to be produced without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. Such chemicals can have harmful effects on human health, the environment, and the cows. We have been proudly certified organic since 2001, when we became the fourth dairy in California to become certified organic.
Our organically-farmed dairy products and eggs are as naturally nutritious as they come - offering only REAL 100% organic ingredients that pass the nutrition of our healthy, living soils to your family’s kitchen. We believe in the integrity of the organic seal, and are more than proud to display the USDA Organic and CCOF Organic seals on our product packaging.
5. Certified Regenerative
Regenerative agriculture is a holistic approach to farming that works with the natural systems of the ecosystem to improve the health and biomass of the soil, increase biodiversity, improve water conservation and quality and sequester carbon to improve our planet’s resilience to climate change.
Regenerative practices literally help heal the soil that grows our pastures, which in turn nurture the animals that provide our nutrient-dense and delicious dairy. It’s not a stretch to see how delicious dairy starts in the soil!
6. Grass Grazed or 100% Grass-Fed
Great milk comes from grass-fed cows, which means they eat a diet of grass, hay, and other pasture plants. This is in contrast to many other dairy farms that feed a diet that primarily consists of grain. Grass-fed and grass-pastured cows are healthier than grain-fed cows. They have lower levels of fat and cholesterol, and they are more resistant to disease. Grass-fed milk is also higher in omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which have a number of health benefits.
Our cows and chickens spend their days outdoors grazing on pastures with more than 40 types of grasses, legumes, and other plants. Our rotational farming practices mean our animals can always graze on lush, green grass, which provides a healthier life for our farm animals and more nutritious eggs and dairy products for our valued customers.
7. From Humanely-Raised Animals
Animal comfort and compassionate health practices are at the forefront of everything we do. We love our animals, and dedicate our farm to upholding the standards set by the animal humane certifiers we partner with. Read more about how we’re building a healthier food system with humanely-treated animals here.
8. Proper Temperature Control, Handling and Storage
A farmer can do everything under the sun to farm quality dairy, but if safe temperature control, handling, and storage measures are not upheld, that product will spoil well before its Best Before date.
With summer approaching, it is even more important to maintain the "cold chain" that protects dairy products from spoiling. This is the "chain" of actions required to keep dairy products in the correct temperature range – below 40°F – from the time the cow is milked until the milk reaches your refrigerator. Every link in the chain; the dairy, the milk truck, the distributor, the retailer, and the consumer must take care to keep the milk cold. For the consumer, this means picking up dairy products last in the store (right before you check out), not making any additional stops before heading home, and getting the milk into your fridge asap, especially on warm summer days.
1. High Fat and Well-Rounded Nutritional Value
When it comes to nutritional quality and flavor of dairy, we believe the goodness is in the fat. High fat dairy is more nutrient-dense, meaning there are more nutrients per serving and each serving keeps you feeling fuller, for longer. There are more good-for-you fatty acids like Omega-3s and CLAs per serving in high fat dairy. Milk, when sourced from healthy cows on healthy soil, is a nutrient-dense superfood and an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, phosphate, B vitamins, Vitamin D, iodine, potassium, healthy fats, amino acids, energy (from lactose), and protein.
2. Pleasant Flavor, Odor, and Texture
It sounds obvious, but milk should taste, smell, and feel good! Fresh, delicious milk will have a creamy and slightly sweet flavor, with no obvious pungent smells that may indicate spoilage or contamination. Higher fat dairy like our A2/A2 Organic 4% Whole Milk and 6% Whole Milk, and seasonal full fat dairy like all of our 100% grass-fed products, will have a creamy and rich texture that feels good in your mouth.
3. Limited Processing, but Pasteurized
When it is safe to do so, the most delicious foods tend to be those that are the least processed. We love letting our healthy environment shine through the quality of our dairy. Less-intense processing can help preserve the natural taste and the highest count of nutrients, which is why our bottled milks are non-homogenized and showcase a delicious cream top.
However, pasteurization, a form of preservation where milk is treated with mild heat, is important for safety because it eliminates pathogens and extends a product’s shelf life. There are multiple methods of pasteurizing milk. For our west coast-distributed milks and cream, we prefer a “low and slow” Vat pasteurization that retains a high flavor profile for the milk while maintaining a minor percentage of the milk’s natural enzymes and beneficial bacteria. This means that the milk has more life in it, so the shelf life of our bottled milk and cream is shorter than most.
For our nationally-distributed milk, we opt in for a higher temperature pasteurization that extends the shelf life and enables folks all around the country to access our digestible A2/A2 organic dairy.
4. Certified Organic
“Certified organic” means that a food has been third-party verified to be produced without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. Such chemicals can have harmful effects on human health, the environment, and the cows. We have been proudly certified organic since 2001, when we became the fourth dairy in California to become certified organic.
Our organically-farmed dairy products and eggs are as naturally nutritious as they come - offering only REAL 100% organic ingredients that pass the nutrition of our healthy, living soils to your family’s kitchen. We believe in the integrity of the organic seal, and are more than proud to display the USDA Organic and CCOF Organic seals on our product packaging.
5. Certified Regenerative
Regenerative agriculture is a holistic approach to farming that works with the natural systems of the ecosystem to improve the health and biomass of the soil, increase biodiversity, improve water conservation and quality and sequester carbon to improve our planet’s resilience to climate change.
Regenerative practices literally help heal the soil that grows our pastures, which in turn nurture the animals that provide our nutrient-dense and delicious dairy. It’s not a stretch to see how delicious dairy starts in the soil!
6. Grass Grazed or 100% Grass-Fed
Great milk comes from grass-fed cows, which means they eat a diet of grass, hay, and other pasture plants. This is in contrast to many other dairy farms that feed a diet that primarily consists of grain. Grass-fed and grass-pastured cows are healthier than grain-fed cows. They have lower levels of fat and cholesterol, and they are more resistant to disease. Grass-fed milk is also higher in omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which have a number of health benefits.
Our cows and chickens spend their days outdoors grazing on pastures with more than 40 types of grasses, legumes, and other plants. Our rotational farming practices mean our animals can always graze on lush, green grass, which provides a healthier life for our farm animals and more nutritious eggs and dairy products for our valued customers.
7. From Humanely-Raised Animals
Animal comfort and compassionate health practices are at the forefront of everything we do. We love our animals, and dedicate our farm to upholding the standards set by the animal humane certifiers we partner with. Read more about how we’re building a healthier food system with humanely-treated animals here.
8. Proper Temperature Control, Handling and Storage
A farmer can do everything under the sun to farm quality dairy, but if safe temperature control, handling, and storage measures are not upheld, that product will spoil well before its Best Before date.
With summer approaching, it is even more important to maintain the "cold chain" that protects dairy products from spoiling. This is the "chain" of actions required to keep dairy products in the correct temperature range – below 40°F – from the time the cow is milked until the milk reaches your refrigerator. Every link in the chain; the dairy, the milk truck, the distributor, the retailer, and the consumer must take care to keep the milk cold. For the consumer, this means picking up dairy products last in the store (right before you check out), not making any additional stops before heading home, and getting the milk into your fridge asap, especially on warm summer days.