Farmer Spotlight: Dan and Debbie’s Creamery
Located in Ely, Iowa, Dan and Debbie’s Creamery is an extension of their family-owned Dairy Farm. The Creamery takes milk from the Farm and turns it into high-quality dairy products, selling it directly to consumers through their online and retail stores. Dan and Debbie’s Creamery control all aspects from farm to table with a dedication to sustainable agriculture practices, guaranteeing the best products for their customers.
In 1997, the Farm transitioned from beef to dairy cows, but it wasn’t until five years ago when the Creamery was established. Growing from 25 to over 120 dairy cows, Dan and Debbie’s Creamery makes ice cream, butter, cheese curds, full-fat milk and cream, and more. With a deep passion for quality sustainable farming, cows lead happy, healthy lives, producing products customers have become to love and trust.
We recently sat down with Josie Rozum, Director of Operations at Dan and Debbie’s Creamery, to learn more about her family’s operation and get the scoop on how they leveraged convenience to grow their operation in 2020.
The Importance of Farm-to-Table
When Josie and her brothers started the Creamery, it was important for them to stick to their roots, crafting products their customers could connect with. “When we first started, we wanted to keep things simple and offer traditional dairy products that are nostalgic to our customers. We focus on full-fat dairy products that are as close to their natural state as possible. So, when we talk “farm-to-table,” the most important aspect is the ability to control every part of the process to guarantee a high-quality product.” For Josie and her team, what their cows eat and how they live their lives is just as important to them as the final product they produce. Managing the process from start to finish guarantees the quality of the products they offer customers.
Dan and Debbie’s Creamery takes an educational approach when it comes to marketing. “A lot of people think milk is milk. Therefore, it has been essential for us to share how the process begins before the milk is even created. The care you put into your crops, which is ultimately what your cows will eat, will determine the taste you get in the final product. We want our customers to know exactly what’s going into producing their milk because not all milk is created equal.
There are a lot of steps that we take to make the product truly exceptional. So, storytelling is big for us, and we find that our customers enjoy hearing these stories because they have no idea what it’s like on a Dairy Farm. We must explain what we’re doing and how we’re going above and beyond because we want our customers to support us and feel a connection to our Creamery.” Using stories and educating customers creates brand loyalty and trust, allowing Dan and Debbie’s Creamery to differentiate themselves from other brands in the market.
Leveraging Convenience with Local Partnerships
Dan and Debbie’s Creamery is partnered with over 30 local companies that are committed to producing the best quality products. “We try to select partners in Iowa to sell in our retail and online stores. We carry honey, jams, granolas, different types of frozen meats, and more. We like to select partners who are similar to us and can communicate their value to customers. People crave relationships with Farmers, so when we’re looking for potential partners, it’s important for them to have strong messaging that customers can connect with.”
Building relationships to serve the local community has been of utmost importance to Dan and Debbie’s Creamery. Offering a one-stop-shop to access products beyond their own adds another layer of convenience to meet customer’s expectations. “We want to make it easy, simple, and quick for customers to be able to hop online, order what they want, and we'll do the rest. We'll get it to their doorstep, or they can swing by to pick it up. We know convenience is important to our customers, so we want to be able to provide that to them.”
How Delivery has Helped
In August 2020, Josie and her team decided to implement a home delivery program to sell more milk. “Our goal at the end of the day is to use all of the milk from the Farm to sell at the Creamery. We started with the concept of the milkman. Even if you’ve never experienced it before, you get warm and fuzzy feelings from that nostalgia. Then, we thought about leveraging the products created by local artisans, growers, and producers that we have in our retail store. Providing our customers with products beyond milk, we’re able to make more internal sales. We’ve become a little grocery store on wheels!”
Six months after implementing delivery, the Creamery has grown from servicing two zip codes to now fifteen. “It’s been a fun process for us to be able to start simple, start small, and then organically add different zip codes, different products, and different back-end customizations. Utilizing Barn2Door, and how simple it is to implement delivery and being able to grow this service without having to dedicate 100% of our time, has been a game-changer.”
Using Barn2Door + Mailchimp to Keep Customers Happy
A number one priority at the Creamery is to keep customers happy. Leveraging different online tools has allowed Josie to attract more customers and reach other buyers within the community. “When Barn2Door integrated with Mailchimp, it made it painless to schedule email reminders to my customers automatically.”
Between offering new delivery options or sharing new product launches, Josie’s customers enjoy the ease with which they can learn what’s new and shop their products with a click of a button. “I can now send targeted emails to customers that subscribe to milk subscriptions or that are buying consistently, or maybe didn’t purchase for a week that I want to re-engage with. As far as a communication and marketing platform, it has been extremely helpful.”
What’s Next for Dan and Debbie’s Creamery
“The next chapter is bringing in more partners, products, and customers. We now understand how to leverage our store with Barn2Door, so the plan is to grow. We have our systems in place, and the customers are happy. We want more people to experience the milkman, so we’re ready to take the next step!”
At Barn2Door, we are thrilled to support Dan and Debbie’s Creamery in offering their customers the convenience of a direct delivery program and service happy local Buyers. To learn more about how Barn2Door could support your Farm in growing a local delivery service, watch this 5-min video.
