From milk and butter , to cream , half and half , and ice cream , all of South Mountain Creamery ’ s products are prepared and packaged on the farm .
responded could really establish our value in the community — why it ’ s important to eat local , why it ’ s important to have local supply chains , and how we might shine in a crisis . We thought if we could really make a difference here , let ’ s try to make as big a difference as we can ,” recalls Tony . “ Our minds had to be on the fact that we were doing this for the community , that we were essential , and we had to do this . The whole family came together — kids and all — and we knew that needed to happen .”
Remarkably , and just prior to COVID , Tony and partners set off on another entrepreneurial adventure . Just after starting Hometown Harvest Kitchen Restaurant in Frederick to create a farm-tofork restaurant , COVID shut them down . A quick pivot and that crisis produced another opportunity . Putting the restaurant kitchen to maximum use , Tony was able to keep the chefs busy . To round out the expanded Creamery ’ s home delivery service , they quickly added prepared boxes of chef-created meals with family-sized servings that changed weekly . “ Home
delivery uses the kitchen space now 100 percent Sunday through Thursday ,” says Tony . “ We get a box every Monday so it ’ s like , what are we eating today ?” And if that entrepreneurial spirit of risk taking weren ’ t enough , they opened a small walk-up South Mountain Creamery brand ice cream shop on the site to boot !
Then last summer when COVID really started spiking , the Creamery was reaching capacity in their milk bottling operation . Usually the kind of growth that went crazy during the pandemic would take place over years with adjustments along the way . If the new demands weren ’ t addressed soon , business would have to be turned away . Serendipitously , Trickling Springs Creamery in Chambersburg , PA , an organic milk plant , had gone bankrupt and was up for auction . “ We made the decision to go for it , and it was probably the most brilliant decision we had made in a long time ,” says Tony . They were able to acquire Trickling Springs in late June 2020 at the peak of the pandemic .
Happily , former employees of Trickling Springs were hired back , 12 to 15 initially , and five or six more later . Highly skilled and grateful to be working in their old jobs , they were instrumental in getting the entire bottling operation — and restaurant — up and running again . By September , after some much needed upgrades and repairs , the facility was fired up and bottling was happening . And the organic dairy operation , a new line for South Mountain , was being delivered to customers and stores regionally and beyond .
With any luck post COVID , people will begin to appreciate the huge behind-the-scenes efforts our farmers made to keep communities supplied with fresh , healthy food . Tony believes that farms like South Mountain Creamery can only do so much , however . “ Then it ’ s up to the community to support the local farmer .” He hopes buying local and creating relationships with farmers will continue to motivate consumers and enrich our communities and keep those silver linings coming .
44 plenty I Summer growing 2021