“Madelaine, stop marketing. We can’t keep up with the demand,” was the gist of the text I received last Monday as the nation entered into panic.
There’s a full disclaimer about that statement at the bottom of this post, but for now let’s roll on. • • No, actually, we’ll address it right now because it’s a perfect tie-in to the rest of what I have to say. “Marketing” is the catch all phrase for what I do on a daily basis, but I don’t actually consider anything I do “marketing.” I build relationships, and I believe that with my whole heart. Why? Because, everything we do in life is about relationships. Our farm depends on relationships:
This week, that reality was brought home to us. There have been tears (some of us may have cried more than others). There has been yelling (we’re just being real here). There has been stress (yes). There has been laughter (it’s the best medicine). There has been gratitude (mmhmmm). There has been ecstaticism (oh yeah). Every night has consisted of late night farm planning meetings to figure out how we can increase production while staying true to our farming and food values and keeping in mind our demands at the farm, the upcoming farmers’ markets, and our whole and half beef and hog commitments. Family members have bagged meat until midnight while others have awoken at 4:30 to fire up the barn, milk the cows, and start filling jars again. We’ve dug into our personal meat supply and found ways to stretch our proteins a little thinner in recipes in order to provide for our CHD customer families. We’ve gone through two months worth of new jars in the span of two weeks. We’ve spent hours on the phone with our processor trying to fit in extra beef and pork. Mom even pulled a trailer full of livestock to the processor for you all (now, that’s true love). And you have taken it all. • • You’ve taken it with patience. You’ve taken it with grace. You’ve taken it with culinary creativity beyond the ability of most renowned chefs. Yes- life is about relationships, and we’re grateful for our relationship with you. Our biggest takeaway from the last two weeks is the importance of loyalty and the tangibility of hope. Some things will be put on hold around here for a bit. We temporarily are not adding anymore meat or egg customers as we focus on loyalty to the families already a part of our farm’s community, but we welcome additional milk customers as the spring grass comes on and more cows calve and enter the milking herd. While the rest of the world slows down, our farm will speed up to meet the demand of a simplified world, however temporary this new simplicity may be. We love the returned focus to families, the new creations happening in the kitchens, the hands held around the dinner tables, and we will be doing everything within our power to make that aspect of this “abnormal” time everyone’s new normal. Here’s what you all have to look forward to as you see that happen:
The list could go on, but those are the things coming to mind at the moment. All of those bullet points make up our continued loyalty to you. As long as you are here for us, we’ll be here for you. That’s a promise from our family to yours. That’s a promise that transcends generations. That’s a promise that goes beyond national crises. With tears in my eyes, I want to thank you all for your loyalty and your support. When you begin to recognize that our farm operates on a mutual dependency between our family and yours, you accept the reality that one of us cannot thrive without the other. What I am saying is- we couldn’t be Creamy Hills Dairy without you. • • All right, now hand me a tissue. Oh wait. We ran out.
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Our Farm's Voice
Hello! I'm Madelaine Paige, and I'm so glad we've met. I love mornings, milk cows, and musings. Archives
July 2021
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