Eataly taps nyfoods to supply new Manhattan retail, dining complex

DATE: August 31, 2010

CONTACT:
Dean Sparks—607.656.4142 (office); 607.221.6891 (mobile)
nyfoods

Brooke Adams—212.539.0240, ext. 301
Eataly New York

Greene, New York—Certified organic dairy products and eggs from small, sustainable New York farms are helping to fuel the many restaurants and other craft-quality offerings at Eataly New York, the world’s largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace, which opened Aug. 31 in New York City’s Flatiron District.

Eataly officials selected nyfoods, a central New York farmer-owned business, to supply nymilk, nyeggs and other certified organic foods for the superstore’s bakery, gelateria, pasta and retail dairy department.

Eataly New York—billed as a grocery store with tasting rooms and restaurants—is the North American outpost of the original Eataly, which opened two years ago in Torino, Italy. Founder Oscar Farinetti partnered with New York Chef Mario Batali and partners Joe Bastianich, and Lidia Matticchio Bastianich of Batali&Bastianich (B&B) Hospitality Group to open the 50,000-square-foot complex. Eataly focuses on artisanal Italian products, but most fresh foods are sourced from local farms and producers.

“We’re ecstatic to have this opportunity to bring our sustainable, certified organic world-class dairy products and eggs from small farms right here in New York to such an incredible project,” said Dean Sparks, co-founder of nyfoods. “Consumers today are beginning to understand that organic food is better for them and their families, and this is a chance for us to bring sustainability methods and the great farm products of New York state to even more people in a vibrant new food emporium.

“Shoppers and diners at Eataly have a hands-on opportunity to see, feel and taste the fresh, organic foods that come from farms just a few hours away,” Sparks added. “It’s a perfect place for more New Yorkers and visitors to taste the difference that clean foods make not only to the environment, but to their meals!”

Nymilk is produced on family-owned farms within a five-hour drive of New York City. This local model reduces the emissions and transportation costs associated with big-name organic brands. All nymilk and other nyfoods products are USDA-certified organic, which means its farms are third-party certified to use sustainable farming methods without the use of antibiotics, added growth hormones or pesticides.

Nyeggs are supplied by similar family-owned farms in the same region and in some cases by the same farmers who also supply dairy to nyfoods. Certified organic nyeggs are the product of local farmers such as Dwight Martin, a small farmer in Moravia, N.Y. Martin’s flock yields safe and healthy eggs from hens who are raised responsibly on pastures that allow them to live naturally and in wholesome conditions. These free-range eggs are noted for their strong shells, vibrant albumen and richly colored yolks.

About nyfoods
New York farmers Dean Sparks and Dan France discovered shared food and farming philosophies—namely a passion for small scale, organic farming that produces foods that are wholesome, nutritious and great tasting, and kind to the earth and animals. They founded nyfoods in 2003 to distribute clean food from a cooperative network of farmers in central New York. Today nyfoods seeks to educate local producers, retailers and restaurants on the benefits of natural foods. The company’s line of certified organic nymilk is now joined by nyeggs, nycheese and nyogurt.

It’s up to you, New York, New York!

For nearly 7 years we have worked to develop, market and brand a full line of organic dairy products from New York state.

Our “overnight” success is finally beginning to pay dividends.

This weekend, three varieties of NYcheese hit the shelves in all the NY, NJ and CT Whole Foods stores (19 in total).

Our 8 ounce organic cheeses, in three varieties (raw milk cheddar, colby and pepper jack) are now on sale in the dairy case at Whole Foods for $3.99 (see pic). This is in direct comparison to the Organic Valley cheeses, manufactured and shipped in from Wisconsin, that sell for $6.99.

Why the huge difference? Well, beyond the obvious of an economic down turn, we are able to sell Whole Foods our local cheeses because they don’t have to travel nearly as far. Our raw milk is made in New York, shipped just over the border into Pennsylvania where our cheese maker resides, and then is shipped briefly up to New York where our distributor brings it into all the stores.

This trip is much closer than Wisconsin, so the Food Miles are much, much less.

In addition, we trimmed our margins to offer the best possible price we could on our cheeses. They are local, organic, and really, really good. Once you try them, we think you’ll make the switch for good.

It takes about 10 pounds of raw organic milk to make one pound of cheese. The more cheese we sell, the more milk we will need to make cheese. The more milk we need, the more farms we save. It really is that simple.

At present we draw our raw ingredients from two different NY cooperatives (28 farms in total) to make the products we sell. Our goal is to save as many small family farms in NY as possible. You purchase of Nycheese (and all of our family of products) DIRECTLY impacts our ability to add more farms.

We have many other products, either in production or soon to be, that we hope we can entice Whole Foods to carry. We have Nymilk in production now, and we are soon to launch Nyeggs, Nyice Cream, and Nyogurt (see our new web site at www.getnymilk.com to check out the packaging and get further details about our mission). If Whole Foods is about supporting local organic farms, these items are for them!!

It is now in your hands, as a consumer, to help us get the word out and to support our project. Please tell all your friends. Use the social media platforms (Twitter handle is OrganicNYmilk1, Facebook page is Nymilk) and word of mouth to let people know about us. Our marketing budget is limited (at best!) so we really are counting on folks to talk about this project to their friends, family, colleagues, etc. If you know retailers that would have an interest in our product line, please drop us a note (email dean@getnymilk.com) and we will get in touch with them. If you know a chef looking to add some local organic cheeses to the menu, tell them about us. We happily send samples and visit in person.

We offer in store demos and food tastings, and we provide sales support and point of purchase signage. We are flexible, nimble, and most of all LOCAL!!

NY consumers have been asking for this for a very, very long time. Well, the time is here…and we need your help so we can continue to grow and prosper. Small organic farms in New York are counting on you.

Lastly, if you have any rich or Slow Money friends, tell them about us. We seek capital to help continue our quest to provide local, organic, amazing food to NY consumers.

Thank you.

Dean and June Sparks
Empire Organics
Greene, NY
(607) 656-4142

Hashtag Hijinks

As a farmer, I struggle to embrace technology, especially in the social media arena. It seems foreign to me to be tweeting in the barn….in fact, it sounds a little obscene.

That being said, as a brand marketer for a full line of organic dairy products in New York, I was selected (probably because at 46 I am the youngest partner in the group) to learn and set up accounts for Twitter and Facebook. This was about 6 months ago.

Since then, I’m starting to get quite comfortable in this new electronic universe. I have recently discovered a discussion group about agriculture and food, or what I call Hashtag Church. Well, it’s kind of like church.

You show up on an appointed evening and time (usually 7 or 8 pm on a Monday or Tuesday evening), and find a place in a pew. Then, several hundred others come and a moderator begins the evening by throwing out a question.

In a two hour period, about 10 common questions are laid on the table and everyone begins to comment and discuss each topic. It can be very entertaining.

But it can also be like stepping into a lions den, or a death match octagon.

I have met farmers and ranchers from all over the country (and even some from foreign lands) during these sessions. There is typically an organic vs. conventional farming question, which is sure to stir the pot a little.

But last night, on a foray into #agchat or #ag4all (can’t remember which one…kind of a blur now) I was astonished at the lay of the battleground.

Entrails. Blood. Carcass parts. A field strewn with insults, arrogance, ignorance and down right assaulting behavior.

Not much gets accomplished during these convos (?), but one thing is certain….it’s really like a train wreck. You just can’t look away. And you can’t shut it off.

Sometimes is gets really, really nasty. One church member said “organic=elitist” which really got the room spinning. There is no love lost between organic foodies and conventional farmers….it’s not uncommon for a Nebraska wheat farmer to threaten a Boston foodie with his thrasher. Or worse, his three point hitch.

I guess you try to educate…some people ask legitimate questions and are truly curious to learn about farming and how their food is raised. Others, however, are there for the blood sport.

Either way, it is a new form of entertainment for me. When my wife walks by and sees the goings on, she just shakes her head and goes back to her knitting. “If that’s church,” she says, “they need a new Bible.”

Upstate/Downstate NY: Solving the Dilemma

When my wife and I moved our family to the farm in the late 1990s, it didn’t take long before I was meeting my neighbors.

I am a gregarious sort, and as a former news reporter, I have a ridiculous sense of curiosity. I want to learn, listen, and relish in the things that other people do. I have a morbid fascination with people in varying occupations…..just ask my kids, who had to tolerate hours of sitting in the truck with the heat running because I’d pulled over to talk and meet and watch the local chainsaw carving artist guy. Or the lady running the fruit stand. Or the local hardware store owner.

You get the picture.

Anyhow, I started to see and realize the many, many farmers in my area (Central NY, north of Binghamton in Chenango County) were beginning to make really, really amazing food. I met them, talked with them, ate their food and listened. We have a cheese maker within spitting distance. A yogurt maker. An organic milk bottler, etc. etc.

We had started a reasonably large flock of organic egg layers in our third year here. We had about 1400 hens laying organic eggs everyday, and we needed a place to sell them.

Not too many neighbors of mine (Chenango County is one of the poorest in the state) could afford to buy organic eggs from me, so I knew I would have to travel to find buyers.

Ultimately I developed relationships with some organic/natural food stores in the Ithaca and Binghamton areas. I also started to bring these retailers other food made by my neighbors: honey, cheeses, milk, yogurt, etc. They were thrilled to have these local, mostly organic products and before long I was running a mini-distribution business out of the back of my wife’s mini-van.

I knew then that we were doing great things up here, and we just needed a connection to get this great food in the hands (and mouths) of NYC residents. I just knew they would support farmers from their own state, not too far from where they live.

I have spent the last 8 years or so working on developing and creating this marriage. We are closer, for sure, but we have many, many bumps in the road that we need to smooth out.

I am convinced that once the funnel from Upstate to Downstate is available and efficient, we can beginning putting products through the system that all NYC residents can have access to and enjoy.

It is possible. It is reachable. It is happening (on a small scale) now.

I have been using Social Media (SM) like this blog, Twitter and Facebook to get the word out about a line of certified organic, local, small family farm products we have developed and are marketing now. It involves a 20+ farm cooperative of small organic farms in the Northern Fingerlakes Region of New York. We have fresh milk and cheeses out there now, yogurt soon, eggs this summer.

In the process, I have met many, many folks from NYC that want to help in getting this Upstate/Downstate link established. They want to support small farms. They want fresh, good food. My neighbor farmers want to keep farming….keep making great food, grow their volumes, and save their farms. They want to send their kids to college, and ultimately to leave a generational heritage that is passed on to their children and grandchildren. Limited access to markets and consumers is choking them.

This seems so simple….farmers upstate that want to farm and make great food, and a city of 8 million looking for great local fresh food.

Can we let 200 miles between us be the deal breaker? I say no. We can do this.

To assist in this effort, I suggest that we have a series of meetings to organize a NYC event this summer. We’ll have a “Tweetup Meetup Eatup” event, where we can bring together influential consumers, community leaders, media outlets, farmers and retailers to sample and enjoy an amazing sampling menu of all NY grown food, followed by an informal discussion on how we can all work together to develop, maintain, support and advertise this new Upstate/Downstate Funnel Connection.

Whaddaya think? Are you up to it? Are we all up to it? I’m pretty certain that New Yorkers, no matter where we live in the state, are up to this challenge.

This is such a win-win I can hardly stand it…..farmers get to keep farming, and New Yorkers get access to some of the best, most fresh food grown in the world. This has to be a no-brainer. Can you help us get this done?

I know you are very busy and have little time to devote, but let me tell you something for certain: If we can get this done, we leave a legacy our children and grandchildren will benefit from for generations.

Let me know what you think: You can leave a comment here, or email me: dean@getnymilk.com. My twitter nickname is OrganicNYmilk1, and I am also on Facebook (Nymilk).

I look forward to a meaningful series of events that leads to greater awareness and success for New York farmers and consumers alike.

Thank you.
Dean Sparks

What the New USDA Pasture Rule Means to You

The new certified organic pasture rule was passed and published last week, and it goes into effect in early June.

Here is what it means to you (and to all of us):

Ever since the USDA got themselves involved in organic agriculture and passed the NOP (National Organic Program) standards in 1999, all organic farming operations have been operating under the same 600 page document that ensures consumers that organic farming methods are being followed.

Many organic farmers, agvocates, and others directly involved in organic food were involved in the drafting of these regulations. It was, quite frankly, a remarkable document from a governmental agency and has done well to continue to promote and encourage the use of organic methods in all phases of the agricultural industry.

There was, however, one gaping loop hole of confusion over the amount of time animals needed to be on pasture. This was not specifically for dairy and meat animals, but also provided obscurity for poultry, pork, and all other organic animals. The NOP was vaguely unclear.

During the previous decade as the organic food industry began to thrive, many corporate mega-farms out West decided to take the plunge and begin marketing their products as “organic”. They switched to organic grain and began to call their milk and other dairy products organic.

None of these animals were afforded the opportunity to graze on pasture. They were (and still are) simply in large stall feed lot operations. Some refer to them as CAFO’s (Confined Area Feeding Operations).

Many of these large scale CAFO’s are providing the organic milk for private label brands in large grocery store chains throughout the US. They include Safeway, Target, WalMart, Costco, and others. You can learn more about the specific brands here:

http://www.cornucopia.org

So basically retailers and agri-business have been fooling consumers into believing that supporting their private label milk might actually be a good thing.

Nothing could be further than the truth.

This milk is trucked across country, produced very cheaply, and forces down wholesale pricing on organic milk that is legitimate. In addition, it steals organic milk sales from locally based organic milk labels struggling to match this artificially low pricing. It is evident that, however wrongly, retail grocers are taking advantage of their customer loyalty to make them believe these choices are smart and based on sound and thorough research by retailers themselves. The bottom line is that it has been a full blown fraud for a very, very long time. And they know it.

Some of this was predicated on the fact that retailers wanted to offer you, their loyal consumer/customers, with a cheap organic option. In some cases it was simply greed, as these large operations would pay retailers large “slotting fees” and other financial enticements to receive contracts for this work. As the economy worsened, even the most respected grocery chains in the country awarded private label milk contracts to these CAFO’s, knowing full well what they were.

This will all change in mid-June when the new pasture rule goes into effect and the loop holes is closed. Permanently.

Starting then, cows must be allowed to graze on pasture 120 days per year, and 30% of their diet must include hay and other forages. This is a HUGE move forward on behalf of the government to ensure that the playing field is leveled and family farms can have a seat at the table.

Here’s why: Pasturing 10,000-15,000 cows for 120 days of the year would require some acreage. Lots and lots of acreage. And cows would have to be spread out so far away from their milking parlors that it would be impossible to round them all up for three times a day milking chores. Instituting the pasture rule will now make agri-businesses like Aurora Dairy review their “organic operations”.

Cheers to the Obama administration for finally putting some “teeth” into the organic program. In addition, they have funded a significant amount of money for the NOP to actually enforce these rules. My sense is the inspectors first visits in June will be west of the Mississippi.

This pasture rule also directly impacts meat cows, poultry, pork, turkey, and other organic operations. This truly is the best news organic family farms have had in 10+ years. Now consumers can continue to purchase quality organic food and feel certain the USDA Certified Organic label actually means something.

Please, do everyone a favor…..if you are buying private label “organic” milk from your retailer, ask about its origin. If it’s from out West and you live in the East, stop buying it and switch to a local brand that actually supports local family farms in your area. If you live in New York, Nymilk and Nycheese are brand names to look for.

If you have questions, please contact me: dean@getnymilk.com or feel free to leave a comment.

Organic Milk’s Dirty Little Secret, Part II

Thanks to all who read and shared my recent post in regard to “organic” milk be produced on large feed lots out west and then shipped into the Northeast and elsewhere. Please use the state dairy code list and the Cornucopia Institute’s scorecard to make sure you are getting and helping the right folks (links available on previous post).

This week I want to talk about UHT organic milk. UHT (ultra high temperature) is a process that milk manufacturers have come up with to help them (and retailers) to make sure organic milk gets sold before it goes bad.

This is all about THEM and nothing about YOU and your family.

UHT milk extends shelf life WAY out there. Let’s use some common sense: milk is a fresh product, so it typically goes bad in short order, 10-15 days. Right?

Not for UHT milk. As a former Grocery Manager at a large food cooperative in the Northeast, I can’t tell you how many very, very smart people I saw digging through the milk case, to the very back, to get the longest dated milk codes (let’s say in this example, since it is Feb 5, having to dig to get codes that date out into May).

UHT is the process of heating the milk up to and past sterilization points (240-280 degrees F) and then quickly cooling it for packaging in half gallon paper containers. Sterilization of milk? Really?

UHT also impacts the nutritional benefits of milk. Studies indicate that UHT directly impacts the health benefits of the milk.

Here’s a reference on the UHT vs. fresh milk discussion:

http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09637480020027000-6-2

Ok. Stop right here. Let’s think a minute. Let’s apply some logic and common sense. How is it possible that milk can last three months? Do we really want to drink milk that can survive a nuclear blast and still be bomb shelter food? Probably not.

UHT is the process of heating the milk up to and past sterilization points (240-280 degrees F) and then quickly cooling it for packaging in half gallon paper containers. Sterilization of milk? Really?

Also, please know that UHT milk will rot in your fridge just as quickly as any other milk once it is opened (7-10 days). So if you’re planning a dinner party for, I don’t know, let’s say Memorial Day, I guess you can go buy some UHT organic milk now and put it in your fridge, knowing that your all set for the party. Yuck.

Fresh milk, however, is slowly heated to 140-160 degrees F just to kill any and all bugs/bacteria that may exist. It will only last 10-15 days after it is processed, and it still has a pretty good shot of holding the nutrients, calcium and other benefits you are hoping to get out of the deal.

Organic processors instituted the UHT process back when retailers and distributors struggled to get milk on the shelf and sold in 2 weeks. They wanted 2-3 MONTHS of date code on milk and went along making it this way (most still do today). I bet many of you never even noticed.

But we have come a long way in the organic milk business now and retailers can and do manage to have fresh organic milk in their stores. Look for it….ask for it…and if no one is around just look for yourself….if the date on the top of the seal is more than 3 weeks out, you’ve got UHT milk. Also, it will say “ultra pasteurized” right on the carton. You want none of that…put it back and find some good, wholesome, local fresh organic milk to drink. Doing so almost ensures you are supporting small family farms that are doing things right.

And by the way, you won’t believe how much better it tastes!

Be wary of 90 day coded milk that is getting ready to expire and is on sale with short code….this is NOT the same thing. Tell your retailer you want fresh milk, not UHT, and demand that they stock it.

Another great piece on UHT organic milk can be found here:

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/ARJBZT/www.foodrenegade.com/just-say-no-to-uht-milk//r:t

As an organic farmer I have had raw milk “straight from the cow”. I am not, however, a proponent of the “raw” milk movement. I personally believe the on farm liability of selling raw milk to the public is way too high for me. I do know, however, that many farms are now selling raw milk off their farms…I also know that multi-generational organic farms have gone bankrupt because their raw milk made people sick. Some people, including small children, have even died. Once the smoke cleared and the lawsuits were settled the farms were permanently vacated.

But hey, this is America and people can get raw milk if they want it. I would prefer, for the everyday family, to encourage a 14 day fresh coded organic milk that has been pasteurized and homogenized to ensure a high quality, low risk product.

If you have questions let me know: dean@getnymilk.com

Organic Milk – A Simple Guide to a Dirty Little Secret

Seems easy enough, right? You go to the grocery store, need some organic milk…it’s on the list. So you see the USDA Certified Organic seal on the package, find the right fat level (skim, 2 percent, whole milk etc.), throw it in the cart and away you go.

You feel good about that purchase. Did the right thing. Bought the good milk without the poison.

Right?

Well, sort of.

The last thing we really ever wanted to do is to educate consumers about a CAVIAT in their organic purchase. Unfortunately, that’s where we are at the moment.

There are “bad” organic milks and “good” organic milks out there. True story.

We were hoping, back in the day (1998 or so) that once the standards were the same for all farmers, the level playing field would go a long way in ensuring that everyone was working with the same rule book.

Oh, were we wrong.

Yes, it does require some additional work on your part, but once you find the brand that really stacks up to some tough scrutiny, you’ll be able to buy again and again with no worries.

Here’s what you need to look for, and questions you need to ask about your brand of organic milk:

1. Is it local? You can determine that but reading the plant code on the package. Typically the plant code is listed with a two-digit code, then a dash, then a four digit code (ie 36-3333). The first two digits, in this case 36, indicate the U.S. state where the milk was manufactured (New York). This is important because if you live in California and the milk came from Maine, it had to travel a VERY long way on tractor trailers to get to you. In doing so, it burned up lots of carbon on your footprint. In addition, if you’re trying to support the local ag economy in your area, buying milk from farmers 3000 miles away isn’t really helping too much.

A full list of plant/state dairy codes can be found here:

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/MilkSafety/FederalStatePrograms/InterstateMilkShippersList/default.htm#nucs

I live in Upstate NY, and I frequently check the dairy code numbers on products. Many organic products touting the “local” claim are actually made in California, Colorado and Wisconsin. Not exactly local.

You’ll find this especially true if you are buying the store brand “private label” milks from large grocery chains like Target, Safeway, Kroger, and many others. Many of these chains purchase cheap “organic” milk from large CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) out West. Do they know they are doing this? Sure they do, but they think that you, their loyal customer, are seeking value for your dollar in these tough economic times. And sure, we all are.

But not for the cost of our integrity.

How is this all possible? Great question.

We are working to change the organic standards at the moment, but for the past several years some large operators have found and taken advantage of a loophole in the federal organic standards. Instead of pasturing their animals in seasonally appropriate times (Spring Summer and Fall here in the Northeast) many of these large “dairies” out West are nothing but large volume dirt feed lots, where tens of thousands of dairy cows are, indeed, fed organic grain, but are not offered the expected comforts and lifestyle one would assume these cows are getting to be considered organic. Most of us conjure up an idyllic image of a small family farm with Ma and Pa and their two young kids caring for their animals in beautiful green pastures.

Not so much. Imagine instead thousands of cows, standing ankle deep in their own feces and mud, waiting to be milked over and over and over again……you get the picture.

We are working with the government to quickly close this loophole, but it in the meantime the only thing between your hard earned dollar and a corporate feed lot is your vigilance. The grocery store knows they are buying cheap milk from corporate farms, but they won’t tell you that. Not even if you ask.

The other thing you can do is check with the Cornucopia Institute’s Organic Scorecard, where they rate the various brands and let you know how the milk really is made and by whom. They have a 5-star rating system, 5 being the highest and one star being the lowest. Nearly all the brands are listed, so this is very helpful.

You can find that chart here:

http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/index.html

Bug your grocer. Ask them about their private label “organic” milk. Where is it made? By whom? If they don’t know, jot down the plant codes and check out the list. If you live in the Northeast and this stuff is being made out West, think about buying another brand.

If you’re still confused, send me an email and I’ll help you through it.

Your small family organic farmer thanks you.

dean@getnymilk.com

I should be sad. I’m just MAD!

When I read today about a dairyman in Upstate New York who committed suicide, I got mad. Really, really mad.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35029724/ns/us_news-life/

He lived about 100 miles from me. He was a conventional dairyman, not organic, but frankly all farmers have been on a long, hard road the past 18 months or so.

He killed his milking herd, one by one, with a rifle. All 51 were killed. Then, after penning a note to his wife and family, he pointed the rifle on himself.

I can almost understand the cow killings. Even though it is horribly, horribly wrong, I can see how he may have justified it in his mind. We are all stewards, remember, of the animals. Some Christians believe that animals have no souls, referring to a Bible reference that says, in part:

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ (Genesis 1:26, NIV)”

Nothing definitive there, in my view, and as a Christian I believe I actually will be with all my duly departed animals in heaven. Maybe he felt that way, too. Maybe he didn’t want to go alone.

Maybe, instead, he wanted no one else to have them. There is something very personal about our relationships with our four legged friends. Deeply personal.

Maybe he didn’t want the bank to have them.

Here’s what I know: FarmAid is buried with phone calls from farmers in desperate straits, considering suicide as an option to relieve the stress of low milk prices and burgeoning debt. Farm Bureau reports the same.

Friends, our farmers are in real, real trouble. It’s mostly because we want cheap milk, and record low milk prices (akin to 1970′s pay prices) have caused an enormous amount of stress on small family farms throughout the U.S.

I would GLADLY pay more money for milk if it helps farmers and returns money to the farm. It’s why we buy and support organic milk programs. Doing so ensures that small families can raise their kids without the necessity of farm subsidies and food stamps. Organic farmers can send their kids to college. They make a fair wage.

Cheap milk ($1.99 a gallon in our area) isn’t cheap.

It is very, very expensive.

Let me know how you feel: dean@getnymilk.com

Natural? What is Natural food?

I get a lot of trade publications in my business.

As a marketer of certified organic food, I get free trade rags mailed to me all the time. Some are so obscure they are really just great fire starters for the wood stove. We live in the permafrost tundra of Upstate New York, and we literally burned fires in our wood stove at least once a month in 2009. Yes, in June, July, and August we burned fires to warm up our house. Crazy, but true.

Anyway, we need a lot of crappy magazines coming in the mailbox just to keep up with our kindling needs.

I picked up one yesterday with the scary title of “Food Engineering” (? Yikes!). I also get Packaging World, Food Processing Digest, and maybe a half dozen other food/manufacturing/packaging related, full color slick looking mags. They all have their own trade associations, their own Expos, etc. etc. etc.

Anyway, in an article titled “What is Natural?”, I read this:

“MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a looming target for alternatives due to negative effects perceived by consumers. While the science behind those criticisms and suspicions has proven inconclusive, except where some studies with children are concerned, the flavor enhancer has slowly gathered enough of a negative image that many processors consider it worth replacing.”

Also, this gem:

“The thing about MSG is that it can be described as a natural flavor, derived from papaya. Moreover, consumers are starting to catch on that ingredients such as autolyzed yeast extract, torula yeast and hydrolyzed protein can be used as synonyms for MSG. Processors should watch for a possible rising tide of public backlash against these ingredients.”

Wow. Holy crap.

Ok, so at this point I took my copy of Michael Pollan’s “Food Rules” and beat myself in the head with it.

Certified organic food means something. Farmers are inspected at least annually, and they are required to abide by the USDA organic standards, a 900+ page document of rules that cover all things imaginable being raised on a farm.

“Natural” food has been around for a really long time, and has absolutely no meaning. It has no oversight. I can call my bag of Frito’s natural, because they naturally are, well, you know…made from some kernel of what was once a natural thing. There, way down inside the Frito, past the MSG and the mono poly glyco goodness is a fleck of corn. Real corn. And it was grown naturally, using BT Round Up Ready GMO based corn seed, in some field in Nebraska a couple of years ago. It was sprayed heavy with chemicals, processed and dumped in a train rail car bin, where it was then sealed with hydrogen to retain “freshness”.

Let’s hope we continue to educate consumers to beware of these “All Natural” claims….there is no such thing. The only thing natural, truly, is a certified organic food item. At least you can buy the food knowing that somewhere, a farmer was quizzed about his practices. He wasn’t allowed to use chemicals. He was asked to open his farm up for inspection and review. He treats the land and his animals with kindness. He is a steward.

I think I’ll call some of my farmer friends tonight and see if we can make some certified organic Frito’s together….my guess is probably not.

Why I Moved My Family to the Frozen Tundra

About 11 years ago my wife June and I held hands and jumped off a cliff together.  We were in our mid-30′s then.

She was (and is) a successful Senior Software Engineer and I had owned several small businesses.

We ditched it all, sold our home near Boston and moved to a 50 acre farm in Upstate New Y0rk in 1998.  We brought our two young boys, Aaron and Joe, who were at the time age 10 and 12 respectively.  We brought our samoyed dog named Sammy.  We brought our wits. That was about all we had.

That first summer, on a balmy evening with fireflies all about her,  I saw my wife lovingly petting our first jersey cow in our lower meadow and I knew I was home.

I certified the farm as organic in 1999, and in the last 10 years we have raised a variety of crops and animals.  At one point we had well over a thousand mouths to feed, what with the cows,  goats,  chickens,  pigs, turkeys and humans we had around. The boys embraced the farming lifestyle.

I had no idea what I was doing then.  No farming experience to speak of, as I was a property management geek from Phoenix, Arizona.  But I had spunk and pluck, I guess, and some real determination to do something meaningful.

Everyone in town took to calling me Noah, because I did truly have about two of everything.  I learned about organic food, what it means to the earth, and how it not only sustains and nourishes us but also how it leaves the dirt better than you found it (once you split a single bottom plow through fallow ground that hasn’t been worked in over 100 years you never come back!).  I am no scientist, but this intrigued me.

I also applied some common sense:  do I want to eat food with the chemicals and toxins or without?  I chose without, thank you very much.

I began to read, study and interact with other farmers in Upstate New York.  I began to realize that there were many great products being made up here.  Many organic, some not.  Remember, this was 10 years ago and organic was still privately regulated and a very, very small segment of the food industry.

That next summer it hit me at supper time that every single thing on our plates (including our dessert of homemade ice cream) came from the farm.  I got really warm and fuzzy inside with that realization.

I started a small distribution company out of the back of my minivan, because I had lots of organic eggs around and we needed a place to sell them.  I started to visit some local retailers and coops in our area.  Before long, I was hauling local honey, milk, cheese, eggs, and yogurt around to stores.

Without capital, this venture didn’t last too long.  I knew, however, that we were making great stuff up here and we just had to figure out how to get good stuff from upstate to the good folks in NYC.  We needed a distribution connection.

I took a job off the farm for a couple of years as a Grocery Manager at a local Coop grocery in Ithaca (fondly referred to as San Fransisco-East by some).  I learned as much as I could about the organic/natural food movement and organic farming.  The Coop, 6,500 square feet of whole food goodness, was doing $8 million in sales when I left to return to the farm full time.

I kept after the notion that a group of organic farmers, working together, could establish and maintain a local, sustainable organic line of dairy products.  Something told me it was possible, and some time had clicked by then.  It was 2003, and the organic movement was really showing promise.  Consumers were flocking to the food without chemicals and poisons! Hooray!

I spent the next 6 years working with all levels of the food chain.  I talked with farmers.  I met with dairy plant managers. I lived on an Amish farm to learn how they raised organic hens.  I visited with retailers.  I took ride-alongs in big trucks with distributors. They all kept telling me the same thing:  if you can make it and get it here, we’ll support it.

Sounded easy.

It wasn’t.

The national organic brands (Horizon, Organic Valley, HP Hood for Stonyfield) had successfully crafted and executed long term exclusivity contracts, some as long as 25 years, with all the dairy plants in New York.  And New Jersey.

We persevered.

We met with farmers and continued to work leads.  Finally, Upstate Niagara agreed to bottle Nymilk at their facility in Rochester, New York.  In April, 2009 we introduced Nymilk and Nycheese to retail markets in New York and New Jersey.  It was the first local, certified organic product to be offered by many retailers.

We are excited and thrilled that we have come so far.  It has been a long road.  We are now is the process of trying to notify consumers, chefs, retailers and bloggers that these products exist.  My sense is that once people know about us, they would happily support us.  We are offering what they are asking for:  an organic, local, sustainable line of dairy products for New York consumers.

It has all been worth it.  And June and I are still holding hands.

Help us in our quest.  Tell your friends about us.

http://www.getnymilk.com