From the outlawing of the sale of raw milk in Montana to the establishment of Kalispell Kreamery in 2010, the Hedstrom family dairy business has undergone a number of substantial changes since Bill and Marilyn Hedstrom first began accumulating cows in the 1970s. Now, along with their daughter Mary Tuck and her husband Jared — all four of whom co-own the Kreamery — the family is looking to return to their roots by introducing reusable glass bottles for their customers.
Tuck said that when the family established the creamery nearly a decade ago, they initially wanted to make use of glass containers, but were forced to depend upon plastic due to needs associated with the business’ rapid expansion. In recent years, however, she said customers have repeatedly requested a more sustainable container option for their milk, in part due to the valley’s recent lack of plastic recycling options.
Attentive to their customers’ needs, the owners began considering a number of ways to reduce their plastic packaging such as with the use of cardboard, but found that using glass was the only financially feasible and legal replacement container.
“We’ll offer the exchange program as a service to the community,” Tuck explained.
Looking to be “responsible business owners,” the family decided to try to establish a glass bottle exchange program for their customers, but quickly realized they could not afford to pay for the initial startup costs on their own. Instead, Kalispell Kreamery is seeking $150,000 from the community by the end of September to help purchase new equipment and glass bottles and to help renovate the bottling facility.
The crowd funding campaign will also serve as a barometer for community interest in the service. Tuck said that if they do not receive enough donations by the end of the drive, then the business will return whatever funds it has collected and abandon their plans.
If they do meet their goal, the owners plan to begin remodeling their facility and purchasing the necessary equipment in October with the goal of launching the program in June of next year.
Noting that the family wants to “keep the project small enough so that we can grow into it,” Tuck said they would offer gallons of milk in glass bottles with throwaway plastic caps. She added that Kalispell Kreamery would be the only Montana dairy producer to offer glass containers.
For their initial purchase, interested customers would have to pay a $2 deposit for the glass containers and then could return the glass for their money or exchange it for a new gallon of milk. While the milk in glass bottles might cost more than that in plastic containers due to additional costs associated with the bottling process, Tuck added that she hopes to keep prices down for customers.
“The program has to support itself,” she explained. “The sales have to pay for everything.”
Currently, Tuck said she expects about 5 percent of their customers, who she estimates purchase about 2,000 gallons of milk each month, would switch over to glass bottles through the program.
Admitting that she was a bit nervous about the program, Tuck said it was an “exciting time” for the creamery. The recently launched crowd funding campaign has already raised hundreds of dollars.
While there are certainly a number of unknowns associated with the new bottling program, Tuck was certain of one thing: “Milk is better when it comes from a glass.”
For more information on Kalispell Kreamery’s glass bottle exchange program and the crowd funding campaign visit www.kalispellkreamery.com.