Organic dairy to reduce customers reliance on plastic

SCHULZ Organic Dairy is launching two new sustainable initiatives that significantly limit plastic waste for both retail and food service customers.

A new one-litre glass bottle that is returnable and refillable and will be piloted at farmers’ markets, while a 15-litre stainless steel pail will also roll out into food service, eliminating up to 12,000 plastic cartons and 1,000 kilograms of plastic per annum.

Sustainability and minimising waste has always been a concern for Schulz Organic Dairy.

The farm in Timboon has been practising biodynamic and organic principles since its inception in 1972.

“When can we buy milk in a glass bottle?” – it’s been the number one question from customers since Schulz Organic Farms launched in 2005, and they’ve finally delivered.

The one-litre glass bottle of pure milk for retail consumers is returnable and will be washed and refilled at the Timboon processing factory.

Initially, the glass bottle will be piloted at Schulz Organic’s farmers’ markets with a view to rolling out into retail stores in 2018.

With the stainless-steel pail, Schulz Organic Dairy owner Simon Schulz was originally approached by sustainability advocate and thought leader Joost Bakker to supply his award-winning milk in stainless steel pails for Brothl, a zero-waste restaurant in Melbourne.

Since then, Mr Schulz has dreamed of rolling the plastic-saving initiative out to other cafes and restaurants that share his vision.

A number of stainless steel milk pails have been added to the inventory with Geelong cafe Little Green Corner emerging as an early success story for the initiative.

Schulz are proud to welcome Dan Hunter’s top Australian restaurant Brae as their latest commercial partner to jump onboard and support their war on waste.

“It’s great to have such acclaimed customers buying into our vision to become a more sustainable business,” Mr Schulz said.

“Limiting plastic waste isn’t cheap or easy but with this kind of support from businesses dedicated to the cause, we’re confident we can make it work.

“It’s also great to give both food service and retail customers the opportunity to cut down on waste – as far as we know, we are the first dairy brand to do this.”

The returnable and refillable glass bottles will make their grand debut at the Gasworks Farmers Market at Gasworks Park, Albert Park on Saturday, October 21.

Further piloting will take place at a selection of VFMA-accredited farmers’ markets attended by Schulz Organic Dairy.

Food service customers are encouraged to consider the benefits of stainless steel milk delivery, as opportunities still exist to get involved in this new chapter of Schulz Organic Dairy’s expansion of the pail project.

The launch of these two initiatives coincides with a brand logo and packaging refresh for Schulz Organic Dairy’s entire Certified Organic range, which includes milk, natural and Greek yogurt, fetta, pure cream and quark.