Listen live 
High Plains News
Mother and daughters thrive in the dairy industry
Kay Emerich is quite proud of her product.
It's not just the white stuff you put on your cereal, the dairyer says.
Good milk is a rich, flavorful product "even our skim milk is creamy and full-bodied."
Not only does Emerich believe it, but she counts on this quality to sell her high-end milk.
"I've often said that if you're the littlest and the last, you'd better have the best," Emerich said. "And our milk is outstanding; that's tidied us through this terrible thing with dairies."
It's awfully hard to make money selling milk. Many small dairies have folded over the past few decades, and even large ones have trouble keeping their operations in the black. Fully conscious of this, about eight years ago Emerich and her two daughters began working to open their own dairy. And they decided to take on everything: from milking the herd to bottling to marketing to delivery.
Why knowingly tumble headfirst into this known Bermuda triangle of an industry?
Emerich said a big part of the motivation was her daughter, Natasha:
"She started milking at about 7: one cow, never looked back. She loved it. She's good with animals, gifted."
Standing amid the vintage glass bottling equipment, Emerich's other daughter, Amber, added: "All this was created to support that love affair with milk cows."
And, Emerich thought correctly it turns out that there'd be a market for fresh, local milk in the nearby university town of Manhattan, Kan.
With the help of her sons and her daughters, Emerich's dairy made its first milk delivery in June 2003. They loaded up the truck, and, without a plan, just drove into town.
"We were just rolling on excitement," Emerich said.
They visited various groceries and friends, and gradually built up a loyal customer base. Soon, the word was out about the Emerich Family Creamery, and demand soared.
Eight years later they're still working to pay off debt of equipment and other business costs.
Still, in a lot of ways, the Emerichs are lucky. Another guy who started up around the same time as they did his business folded a few years ago. But the Emerichs have more demand than they have milk, and are working to grow their herd.
So far they've been riding on sheer determination, Emerich said. And besides, their customers wouldn't let them close if they wanted to.
© Copyright 2012, hppr
(2011-03-17)
WHEATON, KAN.
(hppr) -
Kay Emerich is quite proud of her product.
It's not just the white stuff you put on your cereal, the dairyer says.
Good milk is a rich, flavorful product "even our skim milk is creamy and full-bodied."
Not only does Emerich believe it, but she counts on this quality to sell her high-end milk.
"I've often said that if you're the littlest and the last, you'd better have the best," Emerich said. "And our milk is outstanding; that's tidied us through this terrible thing with dairies."
It's awfully hard to make money selling milk. Many small dairies have folded over the past few decades, and even large ones have trouble keeping their operations in the black. Fully conscious of this, about eight years ago Emerich and her two daughters began working to open their own dairy. And they decided to take on everything: from milking the herd to bottling to marketing to delivery.
Why knowingly tumble headfirst into this known Bermuda triangle of an industry?
Emerich said a big part of the motivation was her daughter, Natasha:
"She started milking at about 7: one cow, never looked back. She loved it. She's good with animals, gifted."
Standing amid the vintage glass bottling equipment, Emerich's other daughter, Amber, added: "All this was created to support that love affair with milk cows."
And, Emerich thought correctly it turns out that there'd be a market for fresh, local milk in the nearby university town of Manhattan, Kan.
With the help of her sons and her daughters, Emerich's dairy made its first milk delivery in June 2003. They loaded up the truck, and, without a plan, just drove into town.
"We were just rolling on excitement," Emerich said.
They visited various groceries and friends, and gradually built up a loyal customer base. Soon, the word was out about the Emerich Family Creamery, and demand soared.
Eight years later they're still working to pay off debt of equipment and other business costs.
Still, in a lot of ways, the Emerichs are lucky. Another guy who started up around the same time as they did his business folded a few years ago. But the Emerichs have more demand than they have milk, and are working to grow their herd.
So far they've been riding on sheer determination, Emerich said. And besides, their customers wouldn't let them close if they wanted to.
© Copyright 2012, hppr
