The Zuppan family, right, includes, from left, Jay, John, Mark and Jake Zuppan, who milk cows and goats. In addition to pasturing animals, the farm grows some of its own feed, above.
Zuppan said he thinks his family has been able to survive challenging times in the dairy business because of how it has diversified, such as expanding to produce goat milk for Sierra Nevada. He said he appreciates the “warm, fuzzy, small-town feel” of the company and stands ready to grow with it. “I want to be first in line to fill that void,” he said. “We don’t want to f lood them with milk, but when they want more, I want to be able to give it to them.” When Ed and Sarah Fumasi began shipping milk to Sierra Nevada 13 years ago, they were raising about 600 goats; now the herd has grown to 1,600. Located in Artois about 4 miles from the Sierra Nevada plant, the dairy began shipping pastured cow’s milk to the company about two years ago. Milking about 130 cows, Ed Fumasi said they wouldn’t be able to stay in business with such a small dairy if they sold their milk to conventional markets. But with the premium they receive through the Graziers program, he said, “it makes it pencil out.” He added, “We take care of them, and they take care of us, so it’s kind of a partnership.” Flavor ‘starts with the farmer’ As the company grows, Gregersen and Dundon acknowledge that they may need to keep their options
open and look to farms outside the region, such as for organic milk, which now comes from California State University, Chico. But they agree that their partnerships with local farms remain a bedrock of their business. The f lavor that people respond to in their products “starts with the farmer,” Gregersen said. “We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Dundon said of Sierra Nevada’s small-business, keeping-it-local mindset. “We’re in a partnership with the farmers. They’re just as important as we are. We promote them because they’re the backbone of our country.” Rodgers said Sierra Nevada’s “whole vision” has been to connect the farm to its products and “to allow the consumer to feel confident about where their milk is being produced, where it’s being processed.” “We’re really happy that we’re able to achieve these partnerships with these local dairies, where we can sustain each other and offer them a way to survive the dairy business and be in a niche market—and also provide them a great deal of pride,” she said. “When I talk to them, they know where their products are going, and they get to see it on the shelf.”
Ching Lee clee@californiabountiful.com
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January/February 2022
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