‘You can’t beat local’

A calf looks out from his hutch at Borges Family Creamery in Smith River while Joey and Maria Borges and their son Max stand nearby. Baby cows stay in their individual hutch for six months before being released into the pasture. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

The Borges Family Creamery in Smith River just open­ed and is selling organic “cream top” milk to local stores.

“The milk never leaves the farm,” explained owner Joey Borges. It’s pasteurized and bottled on the premises. The pasteurization process is what sets it apart from raw milk.

The milk is certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers. It’s also non-homogenized, which means the cream in the milk is left intact and will rise to the top. That also means the container needs a good shake before drinking.

“How it comes from the cow — except for pasteurization — is how you get it,” Borges said.

Borges just finalized everything with the state to get the creamery certified and made the first deliveries to stores Monday.

Reyna Borges checks in on one of the calves. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

“We’re hoping to get it into the big stores,” Borges said, who is in negotiations to sell to C&K Market stores and Safeway.

The long-established Alexandre Family Eco-Dairy Farms in Fort Dick sells its organic milk to a wholesaler.

Pasture rotation

The Borges Family Creamery is on 120 acres with just as many Jersey cows.

The property is split on either side of Fred D. Haight Road. The cows spend their day grazing and twice a day make their way across the street to the milk barn.

“The first six girls know where to go,” Maria Borges said.

After being milked, the cows go right back into the field. When winter weather hits, the barn will be open, Joey Borges explained, so they can come inside out of the rain.

Every 12 hours after the cows are milked, they’re rotated to a different pasture, he said, so they get fresh grass.

“That’s the essence of pasture-based,” he said.

The cows don’t go back to the same pasture for 15 days, which gives the grass a chance to replenish.

“They also have a view of the Smith River,” Borges said with a laugh. “They couldn’t ask for more.”

Pasteurized, but still creamy

The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

“I don’t believe in processed milk,” he said. “It should be the way it was intended.”

For example, to make 2 percent milk, the cream is taken out and then some is put back in, Borges explained.

“Jersey milk is rich in butter, fat and protein,” he said about leaving the cream in the milk. “That’s a selling point.”

The homogenization process breaks up the fat and redistributes it throughout the liquid (so the cream doesn’t rise to the top). This is how most commercial milk is processed.

“It’s time that people get a choice of milk to drink,” Borges said. “A lot of people would still rather get milk from a family farm. We’re giving them that choice.”

Creating a family business

Starting a dairy that produces pasture-based organic non-homogenized milk just made sense to Borges.

“The way things are going,” he said, “people are moving toward healthy,  local, organic products.”

“You can’t beat local,” Borges continued. “You can drive by and see the cows and where you’re getting your milk from. You can’t get anything more fresh or direct.”

Borges grew up around cattle. His father worked at Reservation Ranch, a dairy in Smith River, and his family had cattle. His parents were also familiar with that lifestyle in Portugal where they’re from.

His wife Maria was born and raised here, but not on a farm. She said she loves living and working on a dairy.

“It’s wonderful raising a family on  a farm out here,” she said. They have three children, Reyna, 7, Benjamin, 2, and Max, 9 months old.

It is very much a family-run business. Family members come out to the creamery to help out whenever they can, Borges said.

In 2003, they started leasing the property and got it up to Grade A and organic certification standards over the last six years.

In the last year, everything  quickly came together, he said, and now the product is available locally.

“A dairy always appealed to me,” he said, explaining why he wanted to start one. It’s the “kinder” side of farming, he said.

The cows have become part of the Borges family. That’s the benefit of running a small-scale operation, he said.

Future plans include building a full dairy facility, Borges said, making yogurt, butter and ice cream and having an on-site store. In the immediate future, they might start making chocolate milk.