If you took an early morning drive through an American neighborhood 60 years ago, you might see a bottle of fresh milk on the porch of most homes. Consumers left their empty bottles out, which were replaced with fresh bottles of milk from a nearby dairy.
The milkman went out of fashion over the years when refrigeration and transportation advances made grocery stores consumers’ primary source for buying milk. But in many areas around the United States, you can still get a taste of nostalgia and have fresh, tasty dairy products delivered to your home from a local dairy.
When our family lived in northern Colorado, we got milk from a local dairy delivered to our home once a week. Before we even woke up, the milk truck driver deposited our order—which sometimes also included bread, eggs, or butter—into a box by the front door. The milk cost more than it did at the grocery store, but the high quality of the milk and the convenience of not having to buckle my baby and preschooler into their carseats for a shopping trip were worth the increase in price.
The COVID-19 pandemic increased the demand for such services because of lockdown orders and social distancing. Dairies offering home milk delivery in 2020 reported long waiting lists and the need to hire more drivers as more customers expressed interest in another facet of the farm-to-table movement.
According to The Dairy Alliance, “Thanks to nostalgia and sustainable living, consumers who participate in today’s delivery programs support local entrepreneurs like dairy farmers, ensuring that money remains in your community. The milk received is fresh with as little as 24 hours passing since leaving the udder.”
To see if home milk delivery service is available from a local dairy in your area, visit http://www.drinkmilkinglassbottles.com/all-dairies.
