Guest guest Posted January 30, 2002 Report Share Posted January 30, 2002 For those who are interested in possibly getting Claravale milk back, this was posted on the Live-food groups site: Sorry it is a little long and something funny happened in the cut and paste. Hi folks: Reproduced below is a forwarded copy of a letter which I received, as requested, from Collette and Ron at Claravale Dairy. This letter may be of special interest to you if you live in California, and especially if you live in Southern California. In that case, be sure not to miss the closing paragraphs on " what you can do to help us " . I have sent a cc to Ben Odom, the owner of the Primal Diet list, and also to AAjonus Vonderplanitz: Ben and Aajonus, feel free to post this to your lists if you wish! with care and love, --Vinny >Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 23:05:05 -0800 >From: Collette Cassidy <dairyqwn@p...> >Subject: CLARAVALE DAIRY >vinny@m... >Cc: bill.jordan@w..., healself@j... > >Consumers of Raw and Natural Dairy Products >From: Ron Garthwaite, Owner, Claravale Dairy >Concerning: Southern California Distribution > >Claravale Farm is a small (45 cow) dairy located on the coast of >Monterey Bay near ville, California. The Dairy was founded in >1927 and has been in continuous operation, producing totally >unprocessed, raw, natural whole and nonfat milk and cream ever since. >Our dairy produces milk of the highest quality possible using old >fashioned, totally natural, time honored dairying methods dating from >the 1930's and before, before the more recent move toward large scale, >factory farming in California. Our products are entirely unique in >California. Our milk is raw, but it is more than that. It is entirely >unprocessed in any way. It is not pasteurized, homogenized, >standardized, or fortified. Claravale Farm milk is also the only milk >available in California which comes entirely from Jersey Cows, an old >fashioned breed which is world renowned for the quality of the milk it >produces, being naturally higher in cream, proteins, solids, and >beta-caroteen than other breeds. Back in the time prior to the 1950's, >when people used to have a choice of the milk they could buy, Jersey and >Guernsey milk were considered " table milk " , that is, milk which you >would drink, whereas milk from other breeds would be used to cook with >or make other products. The Price-Pottenger Foundation, in their >campaign for " real milk " recommend milk from Jersey and Guernsey cows >over other breeds. All other milk sold in California, including other >raw milks, come primarily from Holsteins and do not have the other >qualities of Claravale products. In addition, due to their breeding, >Holstein milk apparently contains naturally higher levels of bovine >growth hormone than Jerseys. > >Integral to the way in which we produce this superior quality milk is a >limited production. Just like an upper end farmstead cheese, it can't >be mass produced in a factory setting. To do so would be to change it >to an extent that would eliminate its character and value. For this >reason, we have kept our dairy small and will continue to produce >limited amounts of milk. > >For the past 4 or so years, we have been supplying natural and health >food stores in southern California with our milk through an independent >distributor to whom we gave exclusive distribution rights. We have run >into a major problem with this distributor. > >This distributor recently dropped our products in favor of a new dairy >from whom they could get a larger volume of product. This is fine with >me except that the way they made this switch had the effect of >destroying our business in southern California and placing us on the >verge of bankruptcy. Even though we had milk available, our distributor >stopped distributing our milk weeks before their new dairy had product >available, creating an artificial crisis and a vacuum into which they >could bring their new product without any competition. The way in which >our distributor made this switch caused a great deal of unnecessary >confusion and trouble and loss of revenue for stores and inconvenience >for customers and has ruined our credibility in the southern California >market. If our distributor had notified us of their intention to switch >dairies when they first began negotiations with their new dairy, we >would have had ample time to find a new distributor and service to >stores and customers would not have been interrupted. Instead, they >chose to do the switch in a way which benefited themselves at the >expense of ourselves and our customers. > >We have now engaged a new distributor, Doug Call, an established >independent, who would like to supply Claravale products to southern >California. Unfortunately, due largely, I think, to the actions of our >old distributor, stores in southern California, and especially the Whole >Foods chain are apparently hesitant to put our products back on the >shelf even though, when our old distributor was distributing our >products they apparently sold quite well in southern California. We are >not on the shelves in southern California not because we don't have a >customer base, or a distributor, or product (because we have all of >those) but because of the self serving acts of our old distributor who >is now our competitor. > >As I mentioned above, the sudden withdrawal of our milk from the >southern California market has been devastating for our dairy. We feel >that there is plenty of room in the California market for more than one >raw milk dairy. While we produce a limited amount of milk, and in no >way wish to supply the entire market, in order to stay in business we >must sell the milk we produce. > >If we cannot regain access to southern California markets it is unlikely >that we will survive and if we do not survive then our customers in >northern California will be deprived of our products as well. It would >be very unfortunate for us and for raw and natural food consumers in >California if Claravale Dairy, which has been producing natural, raw >dairy products for 75 years, were to fold due to market manipulation. >After all of the effort that people have expended in the last few years >to promote raw milk in California and get it distributed to southern >California and legalized in Los Angeles County it would be a giant step >backwards to lose one of only two raw milk producers in the state. > >In order to stay in business we need your help. The stores in southern >California indicate that if their customers request Claravale milk they >will carry it again. If you would like to have access to Claravale milk >again or feel that there is room in the California marketplace for a >variety of natural milk products, please contact your store >representatives and let them know how you feel. Following is a list of >stores in southern California which are serviced by our new distributor >and who thus could obtain our milk. If you shop at Whole Foods outlets >please contact Bill Jordan (818-501-8484; bill.jordan@w...) >and/or Mark VanDerWeer (818-501-8484). For other stores please contact >the dairy buyer at the individual stores. > >Also following, for your information, is a list of stores in northern >California which carry Claravale milk and cream. > >Ron Garthwaite, owner >Claravale Farm >345 Kliewer Ln >ville, CA 95076 >Home: (831) 722-7779 >Voice: (831) 789-9525 >e-mail: dairyqwn@p... (my wife's e-mail address so don't draw >any inferences) > >Southern California stores which have access to Claravale milk: > > Co-Opportunity, Santa > Erewhon Mkt, Hollywood > Mothers, Costa Mesa (also possibly the other two) > Pacific Greens, Malibu > Whole Foods, Beverly Hills > Whole Foods, Brentwood > Whole Foods, Canoga Park > Whole Foods, Glendale > Whole Foods, Pasadena > Whole Foods, Porter Ranch > Whole Foods, Redondo Beach > Whole Foods, Sherman Oaks > Whole Foods, Thousand Oaks > Whole Foods, Torrance > Whole Foods, Tustin > Whole Foods, West Hollywood > Whole Foods, West L.A. > Wild Oats, Irvine > Wild Oats, Laguna Beach > Wild Oats, Pasadena > Wild Oats, Santa > Wild Oats, West Hollywood > Wild Oats, West L.A. > >Northern California stores which carry Claravale milk: > > Aptos Natural Foods, Aptos > Country Sun, Palo Alto > CoOp, > Earth Beam, Burlingame > El Cerito Natural Grocery, El Cerito > Farmer Joe's, Berkeley > Food Mill, Oakland > Good Earth, Fairfax > Harvest House, Concord > New Leaf, Capitola > New Leaf, Felton > New Leaf, Santa Cruz > Open Sesame, Lafayette > Peggy's Health Center, Los Altos > Piazza, San Mateo > Piccadilly Circus, Berkeley > Piccadilly Circus, San Anselmo > Piccadilly Circus, Sacramento > Piccadilly Circus, Sunnyvale > Rainbow, San Francisco > Real Foods, San Francisco, 24th St. > Sacramento Coop., Sacramento > Santa Community Market, Santa > Staff of Life, Santa Cruz > Sunshine Foods, Calistoga > Whole Foods, Berkeley > Whole Foods, Cupertino > Whole Foods, Los Gatos > Whole Foods, Mill Valley > Whole Foods, Palo Alto > Whole Foods, Sebastapole > Whole Foods, San > Whole Foods, Santa > Whole Foods, Walnut Creek >- Vinny Pinto vinny@m... 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