What Breed of Cows do you Have?
Brown Swiss

How many Cows do you Have?
Between 175-200

What Do you Feed your Cows?
Our cows are fed grass. The are not fed grain or grain supplements.

Farming Practices

Can we tour your farm and creamery?
Yes, see our tour page for more details.

How is Traders Point Creamery Different from other Organic Dairy Companies?
We were voted America's #1 Yogurt by the American Cheese Society in 2005 and 2006. Our dairy products are 100% grass-fed

How many Acres do you have?
320 acres.

Do Your Cows Graze?
Yes, our cows graze in our fields every day except for a few days (2-5) when the weather requires them to be up near the barn.

Who Certifies that your Farm and Products are Organic?
We are certified by Indiana Certified Organic

Product

What do I do with the empty milk bottles?
Our bottles are made of a high quality glass, and we hope to one day have a bottle return program. However, for now, we encourage you to re-use them for storage of dry goods, as a vase, iced tea bottle, or any other unique use you can come up with. We'd love to add new ideas to our site, please share your re-use ideas with us: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

What is "organic" milk?
Organically produced milk is milk that is produced without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, synthetic hormones, or antibiotics. We are USDA certified by Indiana Certified Organic and surpass all requirements with rotational grazing systems

Why grassfed?
We let our cows graze on 320 acres of pesticide free pasture, which results in milk with more healthy fats like Omega 3 and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). Grassfed milk also contains more nutrients like beta carotene and vitamins A and E than milk produced using standard feeds. To all of us this means more nourishment and a better immune system for our bodies.

What is Homogenization?
This is the process of breaking up the fat in the milk into very tiny pieces. We do not homogenize our milk.

What is Pasteurization?
It is the process of heating the milk that is required by law.

 
How does Traders Point Creamery pasteurize its products?
We pasteurize our milk in two ways, in order to destroy any harmful microorganisms.
We use the HTST (high temperature short time) method for our whole milk, and in many cases for pasteurized cheeses. With HTST the raw milk is heated quickly, held at a certain temperature for a precise number of seconds, then quickly cooled to preserve its nutrients and flavor.

For other products that have added ingredients, we use the batch pasteurization method. Here we mix all the ingredients first, then pasteurize that “batch” to a specific temperature appropriate for that product. Working in smaller, product-specific batches, allows us to create unique flavors and products.

In either case we adhere to minimum state requirements for pasteurization.
 

Yogurt

Which bacteria are added to the yogurts?
Our yogurts are based on tradition European recipes, so we use Lactobacillus Bulgaricus and Streptococcus Thermophilus. These two live cultures take away a significant amount of the lactose found in milk, making the yogurt much easier to digest for people sensitive to dairy products. They can also enhance gut function and stability, and support a healthy immune system.

Are the bacteria live, and still living when I purchase the yogurt?
Yes, the bacteria are live and because we pasteurize the milk before adding the culture, they remain live when you purchase it. With all yogurts, the activity of bacteria decreases over time, so the fresher the better.

What are the benefits of live yogurt cultures?
The bacterial activity of live cultures produces a better tasting yogurt and can also strengthen the immune system. Although live bacteria always exist naturally in our digestive system, the addition of these live, probiotic bacteria further stimulates the immune system, keeping it tuned-up and active, and it also increases the ratio of “good” verses “bad” bacteria.

In our yogurts, the presence of live cultures also indicates that the yogurt has been subjected to less processing and heat, since it was not re-pasteurized a second time. This also retains the yogurt’s texture so we don’t need to add stabilizers.

How long will your yogurt last past the “sell by” date?
This depends on how the yogurt was stored and used. An unopened, refrigerated bottle can easily last well beyond the “sell by” date, but after it is opened, it is best to finish it within a week or so. If the yogurt was allowed to get warm, it may taste more sour, but is still safe to eat.

Yogurt should have a fresh smell and taste. Spoiled yogurt is obvious—it will taste and smell “yeasty,” almost like beer, or have visible mold on the top of the product. Spoiled yogurt can cause stomach upset.

Why does my yogurt sometimes look different?
Because our products are made from grass-fed cows, they reflect seasonal fluctuations in the milk. For example, “winter” milk is higher in protein, resulting in a thicker yogurt. We choose not to add stabilizers to compensate for these fluctuations.

You may also see whey separation. This is a natural characteristic of yogurt, not a sign of spoilage. Slightly “lumpy” yogurt is also fine- it indicates fluctuations in protein levels and stirring time.


Cheese

Do you use rennet? If so, is it the rennet harvested from cow’s stomachs? If not, is it artificial, and how then is it organic?
We only use rennet in our cheeses (Fleur de la Terre, fromages). There is no certified organic rennet available, so we use a non-animal rennet which is GMO-free and synthetic-free. It is made specifically for and is used by most organic dairy processors.

Unlike most cottage cheeses, ours is made without rennet. It is the old-fashioned style, with very flavorful, delicate curds. It requires a more time-consuming, intensive technique, appropriate only for small-scale processing.