GUELPH, ONTARIO – Organic Meadow, Canada's oldest organic dairy co-operative and leading organic dairy brand, announced today it will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2014.
Organic Meadow began in 1989, when a group of six farmers gathered around a kitchen table in Durham, Ontario, with a vision of building a sustainable system to make wholesome food accessible to Canadians. The system would be different than others before – it would start at the farm gate.
Today, that small farmer's co-operative, under its brand name Organic Meadow, has grown to become a leader in the organic dairy category, offering more than 90 organic products at grocery stores across the country, including organic milk, cream, cheese, yogurt, butter, eggs and ice cream.
"For 25 years we've done things the right way," says Don Rees, CEO, Organic Meadow. "It started with building the raw milk supply, then creating an iconic brand and finally taking the leap into manufacturing by building our own plant."
As the category evolved, Organic Meadow has prospered through focusing on growing the organic category from the farm gate level. Today, its farms supply over 80 per cent of all organic milk in Ontario, with its family farms producing over 20 million litres of milk every year.
"To our farmers, the brand is a source of pride," says Michelle Schmidt, Marketing Manager, Organic Meadow. "It represents family tradition that for some has been passed down from generation to generation."
In 2009, Organic Meadow farmers built their own 22,000 square foot (2,000 square metre) dairy processing facility in Guelph, Ontario, the first organic dairy plant in Eastern Canada. And true to their core values, says Schmidt, all milk is locally sourced from their Ontario farms and is minimally-processed to deliver superior freshness and flavour.
Organic Meadow will be celebrating this milestone with a schedule of yearlong activities including the unveiling of a farmer-designed 25th Anniversary logo. In addition, a commemorative book of stories about Organic Meadow and its beginning will be published this August, and a few limited edition products will also be available.
Organic Meadow will host an anniversary celebration at their Annual General Meeting in Guelph, ON. For more information about Organic Meadow's 25th anniversary and a history of the co-operative, visit www.organicmeadow.com.
About Organic Meadow
Organic Meadow is Canada's oldest co-operative of organic farmers and one of the nation's leading organic dairy brands. Organized in 1989 around a farm kitchen table, it represents over 100 family farms across Ontario. Organic Meadow offers a complete line of organic dairy products including organic milk, cheese, butter, cream, eggs, yogurt and ice cream, which are sold in retail stores across the country. For more information and to learn about Organic Meadow's 25 years of sustainable agriculture as it celebrates its anniversary in 2014, visit www.organicmeadow.com. Organic Meadow is also on Twitter @OrganicMeadow and Facebook www.facebook.com/OrganicMeadow.
Source: Organic Meadow