Cream of the Crop is just getting started. Less than 6 years ago, the farm consisted of an empty house and store. Now, it’s a dairy farm and a creamery and it’s still growing.
In 2012, Jerald Reinford, a Mennonite, bought the property with his partner, Steve Leinbach, also a Mennonite. Jerald and his large family live in the house and the store is now the farm store. Their idea was simply to have a farm and a store.
The farm store
They hired Steve’s brother, Reuben Leinbach to build a dairy barn, a greenhouse with a bedding pack for the cows, a machinery building, and to remodel an older building to use as the retail store. Reuben was doing construction at the time, after teaching in the Dominican Republic and the Philippines.
Reuben Leinbach, now the creamery manager
In 2014, they began to sell raw milk and pasture raised meat in the farm store.
This photo came from a Facebook page created by an unknown admirer – click here
Meanwhile, Reuben had been talking to Jerald and Steve about a kefir-like drink he enjoyed when he was working in the Philipines. He suggested they make it here and they agreed.
By 2015, they were ready to make cheese and their drinkable yogurt, but, they needed help with setting up the creamery. Reuben’s girlfriend (who is now his wife) went about the business of having everything done to code and coordinating the various inspectors. Partway through the process, Reuben transitioned from the construction end and took over the creamery for his girlfriend.
Soon, they began making and selling their cheese – pepper jack, cheddar, colby, dill jack and shredded cheddar and their drinkable yogurt.
Fresh butter on the bottom shelf
Their drinkable yogurt comes in three different flavors – Mango, Wild Blueberry and Raspberry as well as plain. It’s made with lowfat Jersey milk, organic fruit and honey. Each cup has a whopping 220 billion CPUs (little probiotics that keep you healthy), whey more than any other drinkable yogurt. They have just finished re-styling their bottles and their labels and their next step will be to find a distributor.
Along with their yogurt, chocolate milk, cheese and fresh butter, they sell all kinds of other locally made products in their store – organic eggs, duck eggs, ice cream, herbs & lettuce, beef, pork, turkey, maple syrup, honey, jellies and jams, etc.
Beef, lamb and pork
Everyone loves a bargain!
That’s Maple Valley ice cream on the left.
Look what we saw in the upper right corner – our catalog!
Their milk comes from their 14 Jerseys and from another organic Jersey farm in western MA.
This calf posed for a picture
Reuben built this fabulous pack barn and the cows seemed to appreciate the luxury digs.
Milking parlor
The creamery has 2 full time employees besides Reuben. One of them is his sister, Hannah. (The pictures of the make room were taken through a window.)
Hannah Leinbach on the left and Abby Miller
The raw milk room is separate from the make room (as per Massachusetts law).
200 gallon raw milk vat
As you can see, the plumbing gets pretty complicated when you’re pumping milk.
If you’re interested in taking a tour of the farm, make an appointment by calling or e-mailing them. The farm store is open from 7 – 7 every day except Sunday, year round.
