Raw Milk
To find Canadian resources for raw milk, visit the Campaign for Real Milk directory: https://www.realmilk.com/farm-directory/wpbdm-region/canada/
To support the fight to legalize raw milk in BC please join the BC Herdshare Association: http://bcherdshare.org/
For information about cowshares, contact Gordon Watson, phone: 250-391-1103, email: watson.gordons@gmail.com, web: freewebs.com/bovinity. Mail: suite #4, 5177 William Head Road Metchosin British Columbia V9C 4H5
Or across the border in Blaine, Washington:
Cost Cutter (Blaine Center, 1733 H St #100, Blaine, WA (1 360-332-5909) Open 6am-12am 7 days a week) sells raw milk from Old Silvana Creamery
Old Silvana Creamery LLC, Jim Sinnema and family, 1325 Pioneer Hwy E, Arlington WA (0.5 mi W off I-5 Exit 208, first dairy on the right/north side of the road), phone: 425-268-7961, email: oldsilvanacreamery@yahoo.com. Raw Guernsey milk for sale on farm. Cows are pastured spring through fall and fed organic hay and haylage. Cows are milked on site and the milk is bottled every two milkings. Milk sold on site from stainless steel commercial refrigerator housed in an attached shed on the left side of the building. Put payment in metal strong box and remove milk from fridge. Call or email with questions or if you would like a tour.
Grass-Fed and/or Non-Homogenized Milk, Yogurt & Butter
Grass Root Dairies http://www.gortsgoudacheese.bc.ca/cheese/milk.cfm Offers whole non-homogenized milk from grass fed cows. Available in Vancouver at: Whole Foods – all 4 locations, Choices – West 16th and on Richards St., Greens Market, Organic Acres
Rolling Meadow Dairy http://www.rollingmeadowdairy.com/ Offers whole non-homogenized milk from grass fed cows. Also offering grass-fed butter, grass-fed yogurt, and grass-fed kefir.
Widely available at Whole Foods, Choices, and many other independent health food retailers.
Happy Planet Creamery https://www.happyplanetcreamery.com/ Offers organic and grass-fed non-homogenized milk. Widely available at Whole Foods, Choices, and many other independent health food retailers.
Avalon Dairy http://www.avalondairy.com/ 7985 North Fraser Way, Burnaby, BC Canada V5J 0A4 Tel. 604-456-0550 info@avalondairy.com They offer non-homogenized standard cow’s milk that is not organic, as well as a wide variety of organic milk products. Widely available at Whole Foods, Choices, and many other independent health food retailers.
Goat’s Pride Dairy http://goatspride.com/ 30854 Olund Rd Abbotsford, BC V4X 1Z9 (604) 854-6261
Offers whole non-homogenized goat milk from pastured goats. Their non-homogenized whole goat milk yogurt contains no additives or fillers.
Found at Choices, Whole Foods, Famous Foods, and Greens.
Golden Ears Cheesecrafters http://cheesecrafters.ca/ Run by two sisters, Golden Ears Cheesecrafters is the Fraser Valley’s newest Artisan Cheese processing facility. A variety of Artisan Cheeses, Fresh Cheddar Curds and Cultured Butter are carefully hand-crafted using 100% Canadian Quality Milk. This premium milk is taken from their Family Dairy, located right next door. The milk used is from Grass-fed Jersey Cows; fresh and free of hormones and antibiotics.
Available at local farmer’s markets and specialty retailers.
The Farm House Natural Cheeses Agassiz , BC http://www.farmhousecheeses.com/ 604-796-8741 We use the rich fresh milk of our farm’s own cows and goats to make a wide variety of farmstead artisan cheeses. In addition we offer fresh goats and cows milk, yogurt and butter. Our animals are grazed in season, and fed our own farm-raised organic hay and forage. Note that their milk for sale at farmer’s markets is non-homogenized from grass-fed cows.
Widely available at Whole Foods, Choices, specialty retailers and local farmer’s markets.
Tree Island Gourmet Yogurt http://treeislandyogurt.com/ 3747 Island Hwy South, Courtenay, B.C., V9N 9T4
250-334-0608
Non-homogenized whole milk yogurt from grass-fed cows.
Where to find it: Choices, Whole Foods, Home on the Range, Greens, Spud, Organic Acres, East End Food Co-op, Famous Foods, Windsor Meats, Stongs.
Saugeen Country Yogurt http://www.saugeencountrydairy.com/yogurt.html
RR#1 Markdale, Ontario N0C 1H0
Produces yogurt using nothing but whole pasteurized, non-homogenized milk from their own cows and carefully selected bacterial culture. The farm has been certified biodynamic since 1988.
Widely available at most organic retailers.
Ghee
Nanak Grass-Fed Ghee http://www.nanakfoods.com/ is made from the milk of pastured cows, fed on fresh green grass. The one and only ingredient is milk, with absolutely nothing else added to it.
Available at Spud, South Asian grocery stores, Walmart, Amazon, Save on Foods, Superstore, and other retailers.
ORGANIC INDIA Desi Ghee http://organicindia.com/newblog/?p=365 is made using traditional methods from pure fresh cow’s milk from cows that are compassionately cared for in a stress free environment. They are fed with green grass, herbs and crop fodder that is seasonally grown on certified organic fields. Our pure Desi Ghee is free of harmful chemical pesticides, artificial hormones, and GMO’s.
Available at Whole Foods and Amazon.
Prasad Ayurveda Ghee http://www.prasadayurveda.com/ Our pure organic cow’s ghee is lovingly and patiently made with 100% Canadian organic butter which is free of herbicide and pesticide residue, growth hormones or antibiotics. The cows are not given genetically modified supplemental feed and are provided humane living conditions. Quebec is renowned for its small organic family dairies and its climate provides suitable conditions for good pasture in warmer months. Quebec’s rigorous organic standards ensure that the cows are fed primarily with fresh grass, hay, fodder or silage. Available at Choices.
Raw Cheese
Les Amis Du Fromage http://www.buycheese.com
Kitsilano 1752 W. 2nd Avenue
Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1H6
(604) 732-4218
Eastvan 843 East Hastings St. Vancouver, BC • V6A 1R8
604-253-4218
Stocks an impressive selection of carefully selected fine Canadian and European cheeses, with many raw milk varieties to choose from.
Oyama Sausage Company http://oyamasausage.ca/
Granville Island Market Box 126, 1689 Johnston St Vancouver, B.C., V6H 3R9
(604) 327-7407
Carries raw milk cheese as well as a wide selection of natural deli meats, sausages and pates.
Benton Brothers Fine Cheese http://www.bentonscheese.com/
Kerrisdale
2104 West 41st Ave Vancouver BC V6M 1Z1 Phone : (604) 261-5813 Fax : (604) 261-5804 E: benton@bentonscheese.com
Granville Island
Unit 225, 1689 Johnson St. Vancouver BC V6H 3R9 Phone : (604) 609-0001 E: benton@bentonscheese.com
Carries a wide selection of cheese including raw milk cheese.
Little Qualicum Cheeseworks http://www.cheeseworks.ca
403 Lowry’s Road Parksville B.C., V9P 2B5
(250) 954-3941 E-mail: cheese@island.net
Produces fresh, soft and hard cheeses. The milk is from their own small mixed herd of Holstein, Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, and Canadienne dairy cows. Little Qualicum Cheeseworks believes in sustainable agricultural practices and humane treatment of animals. The cows graze on grass and are fed grain in the parlor during morning and evening milking. Fertilizer is applied to the fields in the spring, but never pesticides (the sheep clean up the weeds). Antibiotics are used if a cow is critically ill, but the milk is tested and discarded before it goes into the tank. Raclette and Rathtrevor are made with raw milk.
Where to find it: many natural food stores, such as Choices and Whole Foods, and Farmer’s Markets.
Carmeli’s Goat Cheese Artisan http://www.carmelisgoatcheese.com 70 Timberline Road Kelowna, B.C. (12 Km south of downtown Kelowna, close to the entrance to Okanagan Mountain Park). (250) 470-0341
Produces fine goat’s milk cheeses, with several raw milk varieties to choose from. Cheeses are produced using traditional methods that the cheese makers learned during their travels in Europe. The milk in the cheese comes from Mancha, Togenbourg and French Alpine goats on Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan farm. The goats are fed a variety of grains and alfalfa, free of any hormones and food additives. They are free to roam in a 3-acre fenced area, nibbling on whatever they find (they particularly like the bark of trees).
Where to find it: Choices and Urban Fare.
Moonstruck Organic Cheese http://www.moonstruckcheese.com
1306 Beddis Road, Salt Spring, B.C. V8K 2C9 1-250-537-4987 E-mail: grace@saltspring.com
Produces certified organic fine farmstead cheese made with milk from their own small herd of purebred Jersey cows. Hard cheese (White Grace, Blossom Blue, Tomme D’Or) is made with raw milk, soft and surface ripened with pasteurized. Julia Grace, the cheesemaker, told me that the cows graze, and they are also fed dairy mash, barley, oats, minerals, vitamins, hay, alfalfa, and kelp plus excess vegetables or green material from the garden. The cows enjoy free access to the outside at all times, and the calves are raised with the herd, not in pens. Whenever possible, herbal remedies are used to treat common complaints. Mail order is available.
Where to find it: Les Amis Du Fromage, Vancouver Farmer’s Markets.
La Fromagerie L’Ancêtre http://www.fromagerieancetre.com 1615, boul. Port-Royale Becancour (Quebec) G9H 1X7
(819) 233-9157 E-Mail : info@fromagerieancetre.com
Was formed when organic farmers in Quebec joined forces, eventually building a cheese factory in 1996. L’Ancêtre produces a variety of organic dairy products, including raw milk cheese (mild, medium & old cheddar, emmental, parmesan), and organic butter. L’Ancetre cheese is low in lactose, and prepared with microbial enzymes (instead of rennet) and sea salt. The milk in L’Ancetre products is from a milk pool from up to 50 organic farms. The cows on the farms graze, but they are also fed grains (and sometimes soy is part of the feed, unfortunately). Also, check package labels carefully because L’Ancetre offers a few cheeses made with pasteurized milk and added colour.
Where to find it: many supermarkets and natural food stores, including Choices, Whole Foods, and Safeway.
Natural Pastures Cheese Company http://www.naturalpastures.com 635 McPhee Avenue, Courtenay, B.C. V9N 2Z7 1-866-244-4422 E-mail: sales@naturalpastures.com
A small specialty cheese producer on the East coast of Vancouver Island, B.C. Their cheese is hand made with milk from Beaver Meadow Farms. Beaver Meadow Farms – www.naturalpastures.com/Beaver%20Meadow.pdf – was officially certified as a Heritage Dairy Farm in 2000. The certification means that the farm meets animal welfare, biodiversity, and environmental enhancement standards. It also means that the farm is herbicide and pesticide free, and the dairy herd is largely grazed on grass. However, only one of Natural Pastures’ cheeses – Boerenkaas – is made from raw milk. Mail order is available.
Where to find it: Choices, Les Amis du Fromage, Save-On-Foods and Overwaitea (check local listings for locations).
PC Organics http://www.presidentschoice.com E-mail: customerservice@presidentschoice.ca
The Great Canadian Superstore’s organic label. PC Organics offers several certified organic raw milk cheeses, all made in Quebec (but please note that mild cheddar is made with pasteurized milk, while medium and old cheddars are made with raw. Odd). The cheese is prepared with microbial enzymes (instead of rennet) and sea salt. A representative told me that they are unable to reveal the names of their suppliers due to contract agreements.
Where to find it: The Real Canadian Superstore (check local listings for store locations). Yogurt: Whole Milk, Grass-fed, Non-homogenized
