Dairy the way nature intended
Paint Valley Farms is a small group of Amish farmers committed to producing the highest quality, best-tasting milk and dairy products possible. The best milk begins with happy, healthy cows and goats. Paint Valley Farms uses alternative, sustainable farming methods because they are passionate about their cows and goats and the environment that is their livelihood.What started as a joint venture in 2012 to create a market for goat milk without having to transport milk to an outside processor has grown quickly, mostly by word of mouth from satisfied customers to include a full line of goat and cow dairy products that are now available in a host of local retailers in the region. If your favorite store is not carrying Paint Valley Farms products, it’s time you asked.
Working directly with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Paint Valley Farms developed a milk processing and bottling facility, the only one of its kind in the region.
The facility is equipped to process, pasteurize and bottle both goat and cow milk and cream.
Paint Valley Farms offers whole milk with a creamy old-fashioned taste, 2 percent milk, the most popular, and skim milk for those who like to watch their calories. In addition Paint Valley Farms offers rich chocolate milk sweetened with organic cane sugar. And of course, goat milk, the product that started it all, is available.
Paint Valley Farms’ milk tastes better because it is minimally processed.
“Everyone knows you can’t buy raw milk directly from the farm anymore,” John Miller, the plant manager at Paint Valley Farms, said. “This is as close as you can get.”
In regular pasteurization, the standard method used by large dairy operations, milk is heated to high temperature for a short time (161°F for 15 seconds). In vat pasteurization, the Paint Valley Farms method, milk is heated in small batches to a lower temperature for a longer period of time (145°F for 30 minutes) and then rapidly cooled.
Paint Valley Farms does not homogenize its milk. Homogenization is a process that takes any milk that has cream in it and breaks down the cream particles so they are the same size particles as the rest of the milk. This is done by forcing the milk through a series of screens at high pressure. This process keeps the milk from separating and the cream from rising to the top.
“Milk that is not homogenized will separate,” Miller said. “You can see the cream float to the top. You get used to shaking it before you pour it. We believe non-homogenized milk is more nutritious, easier to digest and it tastes better.”
Paint Valley Farms is not alone in their thinking. Studies have shown this to be the case, and by leaving food in as whole of a state as possible, nature has the space to do what it intended.
In addition to processing cow and goat milk, Paint Valley Farms makes a variety of cheeses that is unlike any other in the Holmes County community. Miller trained at the Three Shepherds Farm in Vermont where the focus on the principles of cheese making show how four basic ingredients are combined to make an amazing array of cheeses.
“With cheese making there is a lot of trial and error,” Miller said. “We have developed varieties we believe are unique to the area.”
Paint Valley Farms offers cheddar and mozzarella made from cow milk as well as feta and Gouda made from goat milk. They also carry cheddar made with half cow milk and half goat milk.
In addition, Paint Valley Farms offers roll butter, cultured butter and a soft serve frozen yogurt mix made with organic ingredients and real vanilla bean that comes in sweet cream, chocolate and vanilla bean flavors. You can try it first hand at Yummy’s Frozen Yogurt in downtown Berlin.
Paint Valley Farms products can also be found at these area retailers: Buehler’s, Local Roots, Nature’s Food Market, New Horizon Naturals, Red Tomato, Route 62 Bent-N-Dent, Swiss Village Bulk Foods, Sunny Slope Orchard, Trail Side Deli, Troyer’s A Country Market, Walnut Creek Cheese and Wholesome Valley Farm.
Wholesale products are available at the processing plant.
To learn more about Paint Valley Farms, contact John Miller at 330-359-0304 or by email at pvfarms@1-888-418-6159.net.
Paint Valley Farms’ processing facility is located at 13754 Lawnfield St. SW, Beach City.The phone number is 330-359-0304. Its products can be found in fine retailers throughout the region.