John Fairley (right)
Country Valley milk is manufactured on the rolling lush green hills of Picton, a town nestled in a picturesque rural environment southwest of Sydney. The Fairley family have been living in the valley for over 165 years, farming everything from peas to cattle. The Dairy was opened in 1958 and has been running ever since.
The herd is carefully reared, nurtured, and pampered, to produce high-quality products that are wholesome, full of flavor, and unbelievably fresh. Country Valley does not use Permeate. Permeate is a watery by-product from the production of skim milk that other manaufacturers use as a cheap filler. Many large brands add 12% permeate to their milk without specifying on the label. Country Valley does not add permeate or for that matter anything else to its milk. Country Valley’s milk is 100% milk and nothing else.
Interview with John Fairley, co-owner of Country Valley:
Q. How long does it take to learn how to be a dairy farmer?
You can teach someone how to milk cows in two weeks, when it comes to knowing how to run a successful dairy farm you need time and what I call a sixth sense, you need to know the workings of a farm inside and out. You need to live the life and keep your eyes open.
Q. Where is your milk sourced from?
1/7th of the milk we produce is sourced from our cows on our farm, the rest we buy as raw milk from local farmers. We work with farmers that are passionate about dairy farming. We process this high-quality milk then distribute it locally and also into Wollondilly, Southern Highlands, Wollongong, Camden, Canberra and Sydney.
Q. Are you running at full capacity?
We are in a good place right now although our milk processing plant has room for a 15-20% increase in production. We would enjoy hearing from local farmers interested in working with us.
Q. How competitive is the dairy industry?
Our main competitors are foreign owned producers selling discounted milk in bulk for around $1-$1.20. Competing with these massive companies is always a challenge. Our point of difference is we are an independent and Australian owned business – so when you buy our high-end locally sourced milk, that little bit extra you pay helps support a local business, local workers, our local community and other local businesses: cafes, restaurants, pubs and grocery stores. There is growing awareness and a trend towards supporting local businesses and local economies. Many locals want to keep our money here in Australia.
Q. Can you recommend other local growers and suppliers?
You have Pepe Saya Butter Company that produces beautiful tasting cultured butter, they have had a lot of press coverage and have featured on Qantas in flight programmes. And there is Cedar Creek Orchard that provides the best apple and blackcurrant juice and Persimmons.
Country Valley
195 Fairleys Road
Picton NSW 2571
Australia
(02) 4677 2223
enquiries@countryvalley.com.au
http://www.countryvalley.com.au
https://www.instagram.com/country_valley/
http://www.facebook.com/CountryValleyMilk
https://twitter.com/Country_Valley
Country Valley
195 Fairleys Road
Picton NSW 2571
Australia
(02) 4677 2223
enquiries@countryvalley.com.au
http://www.countryvalley.com.au
https://www.instagram.com/country_valley/
http://www.facebook.com/CountryValleyMilk
https://twitter.com/Country_Valley
