Arts, Dining & Entertainment

Billings Farm & Museum and Norwich Farm Creamery joint venture

Photos courtesy Tom Remp

Norwich Farm Creamery now uses milk exclusively from Billings Farm & Museum’s Jersey cow herd. Products include creamline milk, chocolate milk, ricotta, yogurt, and ice cream.

Partnership creates a line of grass-fed dairy products

As of late 2018, all Norwich Farm Creamery (NFC) dairy products are made using milk sourced exclusively from Billings Farm’s (BF) award-winning Jersey cows. Raised on a grass-fed and supplemental grain diet, the Billings herd is one of the finest in the country, with a history of excellence spanning nearly 150 years. Each Billings cow is housed in a comfortable tie-stall barn and is let out nightly to graze in pasture during the warmer months. Said Executive Director David Simmons, “We at Billings Farm & Museum are proud and delighted to partner with Norwich Farm Creamery to bring to market a spectacular array of high quality artisanal dairy products.”

Billings Farm milk is naturally high in butterfat, making it the perfect base for Norwich Farm Creamery’s recipes. NFC produces creamline milk, chocolate milk, ricotta, yogurt, and ice cream in its Grade A rated micro-creamery, located in Norwich. Launched in 2017 by Vermont cheesemaker Chris Gray and his wife and business partner Laura Brown, NFC’s focus is on fresh, pasteurized, non-homogenized products.

Gray and Brown explained, “We believe in letting the milk speak for itself, so we minimally process it and never add anything that we would not want our own child to eat. There is nothing as nutritious or delicious as a glass of grass-fed, full-fat Jersey milk. The dairy tradition at Billings Farm is a national treasure. We’re honored to be able to offer a product line made with 100 percent Billings Farm milk for the first time in more than a half century. Our customers taste and feel the difference, and that is a direct result of the breed, feed, and exceptional care provided to the Billings Farm herd.”

On April 7, at the Hartford (Vt.) high school, BF and NFC will present side by side at Flavors of the Valley, the Upper Valley’s annual spring local food tasting expo. Attendees will be able to taste BF cheddar cheeses and NFC yogurt and milk, alongside samples from over 45 local farm and food-related vendors.

For more information, visit vitalcommunities.org or contact Becka Warren at becka@vitalcommunities.org.

Visitors wishing to meet the Billings Farm & Museum Jersey cows and learn more about how its high-quality milk is produced can visit daily through April – October and weekends November – February. Visit billingsfarm.org for event listings, daily programing schedules and more information.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”34″ gal_title=”Billings/Norwich joint cream products”]

Mountain Times Newsletter

Sign up below to receive the weekly newsletter, which also includes top trending stories and what all the locals are talking about!