Cody's Hippie Cow Creamery Started With 1 Cow And Off-The-Wall Attitude

CODY — When sisters Maggie Haron and Sadie Howard bought a Jersey cow, they wanted to give their families the benefit of raw milk. A little over a year later, their family business has become a burgeoning enterprise in northwest Wyoming.

Hippie Cow Creamery in Cody will always be a family business. But within a year, it acquired four more Jersey cows and has a long list of subscribers who buy their raw, unpasteurized milk by the gallon every week, and the demand keeps growing.

“We started with one cow that provided more milk than we knew what to do with,” Howard told Cowboy State Daily. “Now, we've got over 100 subscribers and a waiting list of people who want to get on a weekly subscription. We could use another five Jerseys at this point, and we’re constantly getting calls, emails, and texts from people who want raw milk.”

There could be a lot of moola in raw milk for Haron, Howard and their parents, Mark and Mary Nelson. However, if and when they grow, family and community will always be at the core of their family business.

“A lot of the commercial dairies sell on volume, and they can mass produce thousands of gallons of milk a day,” Mark said. “I don't think we would ever get that large. We will always be a small, family-run, raw dairy business.”

Though that rapid growth, the family hasn’t lost its off-the-wall attitude and quirky sense of humor that gets to the heart of being a modern Wyoming hippie. While doing chores, they sing to their cows, dance and have a chocolate milk chug-off.

And they take video of it all, making short music videos and reels they share on their Facebook page . In one, Haron dances and twerks with a couple of cows to the 1979 classic “My Sharona” by The Knack. In another, four of the family kids chug the farm’s “leftover pond water” (aka chocolate milk).

The cows also get into the act, running and jumping around the farm to Michael Buble’s “I’m Feeling Good.”

While there’s plenty of fun, Hippie Cow Creamery is serious about its growing business.

Pasteurization, Past and Present

French microbiologist Louis Pasteur is credited with the modern-day discovery of pasteurization, treating wine and dairy products with mild heat to eliminate bacteria and unwanted microorganisms. His research revolutionized the dairy industry and has become a routine process for mass-market food safety.

Hippie Cow Creamery has nothing against pasteurization, especially since it is necessary to meet the global demand for milk and dairy products. However, they were interested in the benefits of raw milk long before they started Hippie Cow Creamery.

“We dove in deep and started researching,” Mark said. “What we've learned, and what we believe, is that the raw milk contains enzymes and good bacteria for your gut, but it’s all destroyed during pasteurization and homogenization. In our opinion, the way that commercially available milk is being processed is a very bad thing for milk.”

The family believes pasteurization has become an industrial shortcut for the dairy industry since it was first introduced in Chicago, Illinois, in 1908. Cleanliness and temperature control have become less critical in commercial dairies since anything harmful in their milk and dairy products should be removed through pasteurization.

Haron and Howard were already getting raw milk for their families from Darla, a Jersey cow owned by a Cody local. When Darla’s owner moved away, the sisters considered buying her but decided against it.

It wasn’t until Darla’s next owner put her up for sale again that the sisters decided it was a sign that they needed to purchase her.

“We knew nothing about cows or raw milk except that we'd like to drink raw milk,” Howard said. “We didn’t even have a rope for her.”

When Darla eagerly produced more milk than they could use, the family started asking their friends and family if they needed or wanted any raw milk. The word spread from there and hasn’t stopped since.

Ultra Whole Milk

The five Jersey cows that provide raw milk for Hippie Cow Creamery currently live on the north side of Cody in a converted garage with an attached pen. The raw milk is stored and sold in the adjacent trailer.

Whenever the garage door opens, Darla, Edith, Annie, Macy, and Pearl rush inside immediately and eagerly.

“They think they’re going to be milked,” Haron said.

The milking stanchions were hand-built by Mark, who’s been self-employed for over 30 years. Hippie Cow Creamery has become a full-time family business due to the high demand and high standards they maintain to ensure safety and health.

“We milk straight into a bucket, and that bucket goes straight into our vat,” Mark said. “These aren’t cheap, but they’re an absolute necessity. There’s as little turbidity as possible, which adds to the quality.”

The vat maintains a constant temperature of 38 degrees. A paddle inside automatically stirs to keep the milk and the cream from separating.

“The quicker you get it chilled, the fresher and longer it'll last,” Howard said.

The milk claws attached to the cows’ udders are thoroughly cleaned twice a day. Every other day, the raw milk is poured directly into gallon and half-gallon jugs with a spigot at the bottom of the vat and immediately placed in refrigerators just a few steps away.

The end result is the closest most people can get to milk directly from the source, with all the beneficial enzymes, bacteria, and healthy fat intact. The “cream line” between the milk and the top layer of cream in every jug is the line of quality for Hippie Cow Creamery.

“I call it ultra whole milk,” Harold said. “Straight from nature, with everything your body needs.”

Not Kowtowing

As Hippie Cow Creamery has grown, the Nelson Family has learned more about raw milk and the dairy industry. That’s why they are and will only be using Jersey cows moving forward.

“Jersey cows produce a very rich milk,” Mark said. “Very high in good fat and cream. Most commercial dairies run Holsteins because they are specifically bred to be high producers of lower-fat, watery milk. They produce a lot of volume, and those dairies sell by volume. That’s why we chose to go after Jerseys.”

The family doesn’t have a pasture for its five cows, so they control 100% of their diet, and everything is locally sourced.

“We source our alfalfa pellets from Farm Fresh Feeds, and they source their alfalfa from local farms,” Howard said. “They get a dairy ration from a family-run mill in Billings, sunflower seeds, vitamin E, and hay.”

Haron, Harold, and the Nelsons haven’t gotten caught up in industry trends or buzzwords. While raw milk from “grass-fed cattle” might sound appealing, Mark said they realized it wouldn’t be the best practice for Hippie Cow Creamery.

“There's science and common sense that goes into their diet,” he said. “Dairy cows produce a lot of milk for their body weight. They’re like the high-performance athletes of the cow world, and you don't see high-performance athletes only eating salad. They must have something else to supplement protein. We would not produce good milk if we were a 100% grass-fed dairy.”

Raw Benefits

The benefits of raw milk versus pasteurized milk are still being studied. Colloquially, the Hippie Cow Creamery family says they and their subscribers are experiencing a plethora of benefits from it.

“A lot of our subscribers purchase milk from us for the health of themselves and their children,” Howard said. “People who couldn't drink milk for years can drink our milk. Mark couldn't drink milk because it hurt his stomach so bad, and now he's drinking a glass a day.”

“One of our granddaughters isn’t quite lactose-intolerant but seems somewhat allergic to store-bought milk,” Mark said. “One of our cows is an A2/A2 cow, and that’s in high demand because her milk contains the A2 variant of the beta-casein protein that allows somebody who’s allergic or lactose intolerant to digest milk.”

Other customers have said they’ve noticed better gut health and even relief from asthma since they started drinking raw milk. The family is unsure how much can be said about the scientific benefits of their milk, but every customer benefits from the knowledge and transparency they provide.

“Some people are far more into it than we ever were, or maybe ever will be,” Mark said, “but there's a growing demand for ‘farm-to-table, products going directly from the producer to the consumer. People want to know where their food is coming from.”

“We invite anybody to ask questions about our feed, cleaning process, and everything else,” Howard said. “I think it's really important to be able to go to your supplier and ask questions, whether they get raw milk from us or anyone else.”

Cream Rising To The Top

Hippie Cow Creamery subscribers pay $10 for a gallon of raw milk for a five-week pre-paid subscription. That’s just skimming the surface of what Haron, Harold, and the Nelsons can see in the future.

“We're offering just cream, yogurt, and what we call ‘pond water,’ which is just chocolate milk,” Haron said. “People will come by and pick up their milk on their day, with their name written on the jug.”

Many subscribers find the inch of cream at the top of a gallon of raw milk well worth the extra cost.

“They’re getting nearly a quart of cream per gallon of milk,” Mark said. “Many of our customers skim off the cream and have it in their coffee. That’s a high commodity.”

Haron and Harold were passionate baristas before dedicating their time and energy to Hippie Cow Creamery. They’d like to turn a corner of their trailer into a cafe, using their raw milk and cream and natural flavorings like maple syrup and honey as healthier alternatives to processed syrups with artificial sweeteners.

Meanwhile, Mary Nelson is excited about expanding into hard cheeses. One of the unique things about raw milk is that it doesn’t spoil but rather sours and ferments into clabber, one of the middle steps in the cheesemaking process.

“A sentence we read the other day just floored me,” she said. “Cheese has always been the way to preserve raw milk long-term. I never thought of it that way, but people have been making cheese for thousands of years to preserve the good qualities of raw milk.”

Cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta, and mozzarella could become future offerings from Hippie Cow Creamery. In the meantime, the family has more than enough demand for raw milk to keep them busy.

“We don't even have as much milk as we'd like to use, so we're a little short,” Mark said.

Not Jumping Over The Moon (Yet)

Whatever the future holds for Hippie Cow Creamery, it’ll be relatively modest. They’re already operating at full capacity.

“A commercial dairy is feeding the world,” Haron said. “We're feeding our families and community, so we’re a small labor force. But we’ve learned a lot in the last year. Our labor is high, and dairy cows are very high labor. We’re milking them twice a day, and that’s the easy part.”

The family anticipates outgrowing its current operation, especially if it forges partnerships with local businesses, a process that has already begun. Eventually, it would like to acquire a pasture and build a customized barn for its growing dairy business.

“We think 10 cows are doable,” Mark said. “We think that's in the range of where our market will support, and that may be as big as we ever get.”

Since each cow averages about five gallons of raw milk a day, 10 cows could produce around 50 gallons a day. That’s more milk but also more cleaning, feeding, and everything else needed to maintain high standards of safety, health, and quality.

The loftiest, “very long-term” dream is to open a storefront in downtown Cody, selling dairy products as well as locally sourced meat and produce.

“We’d call it the Hippie Cow Store and More,” Mary said.

Family First

The first year of Hippie Cow Creamery has been more successful than anyone realized, but making moola isn’t the primary objective of this raw milk business. Family comes first in this family business.

“It's been a real joy to work with my wife and daughters,” Mark said. “They have worked their tails off, and every penny that they've earned has gone back into the company. Sadie has six kids, and Maggie has two, so our grandkids are here all the time. We work, earn some money, and have the kids beside us through the process.”

Mark and Mary praised their daughters’ responsibility in starting Hippie Cow Creamery. Everything is bought and paid for, with no loans required and realistic goals for the future.

“Part of the business plan is to grow it slowly, and Maggie and Sadie haven't borrowed a penny to get here,” Mark said. “They've got a substantial investment in the cows and all the infrastructure, and it's all been paid for by the labor they're doing.”

Nobody’s getting paid yet, but after a year of a successful and growing raw milk business, they’ve allowed themselves one luxury.

“Nobody’s getting paid yet,” Howard said. “Someday, we can make a little bit of money, and we'll get there. But we all got a new pair of boots out of it.”