Did you know that Sheldon Creek is the only dairy making non-homogenized Ontario milk? In fact, they are one of two in all of Canada!
Sheldon Creek Dairy minimally processes their milk, just enough to kill off any harmful bacteria. They heat it up to 73 degrees Celsius, for only 16 seconds. This minimal processing allows the natural enzymes needed for easy digestion to remain in the milk.
This means that people who are lactose intolerant can drink and eat Sheldon Creek's Ontario milk products with no side effects!
Their whole milk has a high butterfat content that varies in percentage depending on the season. It is usually around 4% in the summer and 4.5% in the winter.
This Ontario milk is also as fresh as fresh can be. Unlike most dairy producers, Sheldon Creek only uses fresh milk from their own herd of cows. From the time of milking to when 100km Foods picks up product it’s often only been 24 hours.
Sheldon Creek Ontario Milk Products
So, if you’ve tried any of their Ontario milk products you will understand when we say: Sheldon Creek Dairy is incredibly special and their products are out-of-this-world delicious.
100km Foods carries bulk yogurt and labneh, flavoured labnehs, as well as whole and chocolate single serve milks. These are new products we are carrying, so now is an excellent opportunity to try them out!
Sheldon Creek Dairy's Facility
We toured Sheldon Creek today, and met with Marianne and her adorable infant son, Wyatt. Marianne helps run the dairy and is a wonderful wealth of knowledge.
Marianne’s parents, John and Bonnie Den Haan, own and operate Sheldon Creek Dairy, as well as Haanview Farm . Marianne is actually the sixth generation dairy farmer in her family!
The Den Haan farm in Canada began in the 1950’s, when Marianne’s Opa and Oma emigrated from Holland following WWII. They chose Canada because, at that time, Canada was advertised as the “land of milk and honey.” For Dutch dairy farmers, this was a no brainer!
In 1958, they bought their first 4-H dairy cow, Maggie. From there they began breeding dairy cows – 80% of their current herd are descended from Maggie herself.
Cows at Sheldon Creek Dairy are named after their mothers. So, as you walk around the barn and see all the “M” named cows, you know they're related to that first cow, Maggie.
Things have come a long way since then. John and Bonnie were recently named master breeders by the Holstein Association of Canada for their herd!
Ontario Milk With Minimal Processing
Though they've been breeding dairy cows for a long time, they began Sheldon Creek Dairy in 2012 to fill a growing demand for natural, minimally processed whole milk!
We really admire how carefully they manufacture milk products to keep it as traditionally made as possible. The yogurt is Marianne’s Oma’s very own recipe. Marianne explains that they use the most traditional strains of bacteria to culture their yogurt and kefir you can find. That’s what makes their cultured products are so robust both in taste and nutrition.
Marianne and Bonnie work mainly in the dairy, manufacturing, innovating and marketing new products. John and Marianne’s sister, Emily, looks after their herd of over 50 dairy cows, as well as grows their feed.
Emily is an animal nutritionist and has perfected a blend of feed for lactating cows, consisting of silage, some corn, and hay. As Marianne explained, lactating cows have different nutritional needs than other cows who eat just grass or hay. The added corn gives them the carbohydrates needed for them to stay healthy and happy!
A Happy Herd is Top Priority
The Den Haan family know all of their cows names, faces and distinct personalities. They can actually tell you which cow your milk came from, and that’s almost unheard of in modern dairy production!
These cows are a very happy herd. How do we know? Marianne tells us that you can tell a cow is happy when she’s chewing her cud. You can see the cud go up and down in their throat, moving between their four stomachs! Watching this in action is, frankly, quite mesmerizing.
Their cows go outside for a few hours a day during the winter. But, as Marianne points out, during harsh Canadian winters, the cows are happier indoors. They jostle each other by the barn door impatiently waiting to get in after just two hours!
They’d much rather be hanging out in their stalls where they can feed and water themselves. Yes, you read that right, a hay robot circles around the barn constantly. Each cow has two minutes to grab as much hay as they want (and they have their feed always accessible).
Two cows each share one watering bowl which they can fill themselves by hitting the hose with their nose! In the summer, their herd grazes on their lush 600 acres surrounding the dairy.
Sheldon Creek Promises Transparency & Accountability
Marianne is a firm believer in transparency and accountability of Ontario milk and dairy. That’s why reconnecting consumers to the farmers who feed them motivates everyone at Sheldon Creek to operate the way they do.
They hold educational farm open houses to introduce people to their herd, the dairy and the unique operation they run. They also have a small shop you can visit at any time and an ice cream stand during the summer! If you ever get the chance, drop by and say hi!
We love working with Sheldon Creek, and we value how involved, considerate, and passionate the whole team is at Sheldon Creek. Not to mention, their Ontario milk products are damn tasty. So what are you waiting for?! Go order some today!
An enormous thank you goes out to Marianne (and Wyatt) for showing us the ropes.