By Philip Moscovitch
Nova Scotia consumers finally have a chance to purchase locally-produced organic milk.
East Coast Organic Milk was originally slated to hit the shelves in June, but, according to ECO Milk co-ordinator Heather MacKenzie, unexpected packaging and logistical issues caused delays. The milk debuted with a soft launch on Oct. 20 at the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market, and has since become available throughout Nova Scotia.
"We planned to start small -– with the milk for sale at the Seaport Market and being used by the four Just Us! cafes in the province," MacKenzie says. "Then we picked up smaller accounts, like little cafes and bakeries and specialty stores, while working on larger ones. Right now we have 17 Sobeys stores carrying the milk, and they've just told us they're going to be listing it in another 20 stores. We're also talking with Loblaws about getting into Atlantic Superstores."
The suggested retail price for two litres is $7.99, about double the price of conventional milk.
The Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-op is a shareholder in East Coast Organic Milk, and has a seat on the board. Just Us! expects to use 30,000 litres of the organic milk at its cafes in the coming year, according to general manager Debra Moore.
Moore says that when discussions on setting up an organic milk production co-op began nearly a decade ago, "it seemed pretty wacky. But over the last 10 years there's much more of a ready market than there used to be."
But that market is still small, with organic milk accounting for about two per cent of fluid milk sales in the province.
Dairy farmer Willena van Zutphen, who co-owns Dellside Farm near Port Hood, Cape Breton, is one of the members of the co-op. Although the farm is now certified organic, most of its production is still being processed with conventional milk. That's because the market is not yet large enough for all of the farm's milk to be processed and sold as organic. But she is hopeful that will change.
"There's just not enough market for it yet, but we're hoping to grow that market. Right now the co-op is only making fluid milk: one per cent, two per cent and homogenized. Hopefully in the new year we'll be making blend cream and chocolate milk and yogurt."
Members of the co-op get a premium on their milk. van Zutphen says she has yet to receive a cheque, but believes the premium will be about 10 per cent. Since the farm converted to organic production, milk production has dropped (they've sold quota) and so has revenue.
On the other hand, she says, "our feed bills are lower, since we don't feed much grain, and our vet bills are lower. In the end, the way we figure it, we're making the same amount of money."
Source: FCC