11. Clover Sonoma
Clover Sonoma is a northern Californian dairy brand that has been consistently recognized as a leader in animal health and wellbeing. As the first American Humane-certified dairy in the U.S., Clover Sonoma maintains unparalleled animal welfare standards. Cows are on pasture at every opportunity and are fed a well-rounded diet of grass, preserved forage, and some feed. All staff that work on the farms also undergo extensive training.
The painstaking approach to animal welfare is reflected in the quality of all of Clover Sonoma’s milk products. These milks are fresh tasting and have a creamy texture. What’s more, the milk has a fantastic shelf life, a feature that’s not that common amongst organic milks. One customer highlighted this on Social Nature: “Very delicious and moist. It has a much longer shelf life than regular milk. You won’t have to worry about spoiling before you have a chance to finish it all. I also liked the farm’s focus on animal well-being. I plan to buy this often.”
12. Lifeline Farm
Lifeline Farm is an organic meat and dairy farm located in Montana. A herd of 400 Brown Swiss cows is used to produce the farm’s milk. The cows spend the vast majority of their time on pasture and their diet is supplemented with organic feed that’s grown on-site.
The milk these animals produce is vat pasteurized, a process that uses significantly lower temperatures than other commercial pasteurization processes. Vat pasteurization kills all harmful bacteria without destroying beneficial bacteria or nutrients as other, high-heat pasteurization techniques do. As such, Lifeline Farm’s milk may contain more nutrients than other brands. The only drawback of this method is that the milk won’t last as long as ultra-pasteurized products.
While the milk is exceptional, Lifeline Farm cannot rank higher on our list given the brand’s limited distribution. Currently, Lifeline Farm’s products can only be found in Montana and Oregon. If you live in these states, we recommend seeking out this small but impressive brand.