South of San Antonio, Texas there is an 800+ acre farm where folks think a lot about faith and health. Unique to the rather arid area, it is a dairy farm. Originally established to make super-premium all-natural ice cream, the farm started with little more than Mesquite trees and bees. As the heard of cattle grew for the business, with God’s blessings, it became a land of milk and honey. Today, Promised Land Dairy is one of the nations premier all-natural dairy producers.
Go back a few years – quite a few years to when outstanding all Jersey milk was packaged in glass bottles and delivered fresh. Forgotten history? No, this is the way Promised Land Dairy delivers some of the best tasting milk in the market today. More than nostalgia, they bring a new experience in quality to your table.
How much difference in quality is there in milk? Promised Land Dairy chose to raise exclusively Jersey cows despite the fact that they produce a significantly less volume of milk. What they lack in quantity they make up for in quality. They produce milk that is 10% to 20% higher in calcium and protein.
From grass to glass the company is focused on all natural. In a disposable culture, returnable glass bottles, that protect the natural flavor, are now back “in”. Drink it and you’ll find a notable difference. The milk actually has a higher non-fat milk-solid, which means the texture is better and the flavor is –wow! Farmers know the difference. While they may do business with their Holstein cows, they often have one or two Jersey cows for their own personal family supply. While it makes it more difficult to compete with the larger mass-production milk suppliers, Promised Land Dairy has chosen not to use hormones. “We feel all natural is the way God intended it,” says company executive vice-president Gordon Kuenemann.
In fact, all natural has become so popular among consumers that companies are rushing to gain a share of the market and make a product with a premium price. But Promised Land Dairy has been doing it from a different motive. The founder of the company, a Christian medical doctor, is focused on the health and well being of people. That perspective has deep roots in his Christian values. It is a Christian worldview on life that makes this “all-natural” rich in spiritual flavor.
Promised Land Dairy goes beyond quality and values to spike the flavor of milk. Try some chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or eggnog flavored milks. You won’t be disappointed. They’re even exploring the idea of letting consumers suggest and vote on-line for limited edition specialty flavors. All the ingredients they use are always all natural. No artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners means you get a very healthy product. Now they’ve developed a truly health-focused all-natural additive — Promised Land Dairy has created YUM (Your Ultimate Milk) that includes a plant sterol. Drink it and over the course of four weeks it will help you to reduce your cholesterol.
How healthy is milk? Competitive athletes like it as an alternative to sports drinks. Early studies show that one of the best things you can do to help in recovery after a highly vigorous sport like a triathlon is to drink chocolate milk. Milk can be part of a healthy diet for children and youth. Often those youth who do not drink milk, lack calcium in their diet and instead drink more sodas. Promised Land Dairy has received mail from people with bone breaks, osteoporosis, digestive track disorders and cancer survivors that all feel good milk has played an important role in their healing and strengthening regimen.
Now in sixteen states, mostly in the South and along the Southeast, Promised Land Dairy is sold at many whole food stores and even some Wal-Mart Super Centers. They are expanding into other markets. They are developing a single serve bottle, which means eventually the vending machine in your local gym may not only carry water, energy drinks and protein shakes but milk too.
The company is clearly focused on good quality food but they want to be more. They want to be a business with a reputation for integrity. And- they want to make a statement not just through their actions but also on their products. They print a variety of Bible verses on different products. They don’t do that for the sake of marketing but rather as a way to reach out to customers of all backgrounds. In a few instances the pastors of some mega-churches have actually taken a bottle of their milk to the pulpit. But for the most part they are finding more and more people who transcend the barriers built between faith and health. As they find them they are finding ways to work with them.
“Got Milk?” with a Faith and Fitness Flavor
