A Family Affair

By Ansley Roper; University of Tennessee Extension Specialist

Easily recognizable by their well-known mascot, Dipsy, who stands tall and encourages travelers on Cleveland Highway to stop by “The Silo” for an ice cream cone or a pint or two of their famous cream-line milk, Mountain Fresh Creamery has remained a staple in the town of Clermont, Georgia. Scott Glover, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, and his wife, Jennifer, started Glo-Crest Dairy in 2000. In 2011, the Glovers, along with their children Eliza Jane and Layne, opened “The Creamery,” where they process and sell their own non-homogenized full-fat milk, ice cream, and butter to the public.

Telling Dairy’s Story: The Importance of Transparency

The Glovers emphasize the importance of storytelling in their business. Rather than simply selling milk, ice cream, and other goodies, they strive to be transparent with their customers about their operation and the dairy industry. Those involved in dairy know that the industry is often misunderstood and scrutinized in the media. However, when farms are transparent about why certain practices take place, it offers an opportunity to educate people who may only know what the media has inferred about dairy, but have never had the chance to experience it firsthand.

“It’s not just about what we do; it’s about the industry as a whole.” – Scott Glover

Mountain Fresh Creamery provides these learning opportunities through farm tours, cleverly marketed as “experiencing the process from the cow to the jug.” Farm tours begin at Glo-Crest Dairy, where visitors can interact with the nursery calves, follow the milking process by “milking” Janie the pretend cow, and learn about how their cows are “treated like the ladies they are.” The tour also includes exhibits on the dairy facility and the nutritional benefits of dairy. The tour continues at The Creamery, where participants learn about non-homogenization, low-temperature pasteurization, and the bottling process. And of course, the tour wouldn’t be complete without sampling whole milk, chocolate milk, and ice cream. In Mountain Fresh Creamery’s experience, being open about their farm and processing operations often leads to “feel-good moments,” where they hear appreciative and understanding feedback from customers who arrived with preconceived ideas about the dairy industry.

Investing in Success: SDBII Grant Awards

When they first started their creamery, Mountain Fresh Creamery purchased a used bottle filler to save costs on processing and bottling milk. While the filler worked well and bottled the traditional pop-capped milk jugs The Creamery had used for years, it eventually began to show signs of age, and it became harder to find the specific type of jugs it used. As the business grew, the older filler became inefficient and required an employee to be present at all times to assist with issues like crushed or jammed jugs.

To address these challenges, the Glovers applied for and received Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative (SDBII) grant funds in 2023. The 2023 Specialty Processing Equipment Grant helped them purchase a new filler for the creamery, offering more user-friendly upgrades, larger capacity, and improved efficiency. The new filler allows employees to focus on other tasks, such as labeling milk bottles, without worrying about jams or crushed jugs. With its larger capacity, the new filler also speeds up the process, increasing supply to meet demand.

“We’re grateful to have the opportunity to get a grant and to have folks like y’all working on behalf of farmers.” – Scott Glover

While the new filler has significantly improved day-to-day operations at The Creamery, each bottle still needs to be hand-labeled, which can be time-consuming. Fortunately for The Creamery employees, hand-labeling each individual bottle may not be necessary for much longer. Mountain Fresh Creamery recently received funding from the 2024 Specialty Processing Equipment Grant to purchase a labeler to further improve efficiency.

Words of Wisdom

When asked for advice for others looking to start in dairy processing, Scott returns to his theme of transparency and admits that while it’s doable, it requires a lot of work. He compares it to “taking your dairy operation and multiplying it by two and a half.” However, the rewards of opening The Creamery have been well worth the effort. He also stresses the importance of selecting a location wisely, mentioning that their current location benefits from heavy foot traffic from travelers.

“Give yourself the best opportunity to be successful.” – Scott Glover

As for applying for grants, Scott admits they might not have upgraded their filler without the help of grant funds. He encourages everyone to apply, noting that they utilized their state contacts for advice when preparing their application, ultimately resulting in a successful grant application. While grants can seem intimidating to first timers, he recommends taking advantage of programs like SDBII because “that’s what they’re there for and you never know until you try.”