Maine’s Own Organic Milk Company, L3C, or MOOMilkCo, was a low-profit, partly farmer-owned,
L3C corporation set up to help Maine organic family dairy farms maintain a market and achieve profitability. It was established with 10
organic
Organic may refer to:
* Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity
* Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ
Chemistry
* Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...
dairy farms that were dropped by
H.P. Hood, a large dairy product distributor.
The company allocated 90% of profits back to the farms as payment for their milk, and "the remaining 10% will be retained for the business end of the company, which is a joint effort of the Maine Farm Bureau and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association."
On May 17, 2014, the company ended production. It terminated its agreement with Smiling Hill Farm, its exclusive processor because of equipment failure: an "antiquated carton filler" that was "not capable of meeting the current and future requirements of MOO."
Although the MOO brand is no more, the company is still seeking to secure some other long-term contract for its farmers.
History
After Hood stopped buying milk from the farms involved, they approached several other companies, including
Horizon Organic
Horizon Organic is an American company, founded in 1991, that produces organic milk and other organic food products. Horizon Organic is the largest supplier of organic milk in North America. Its products are sold in supermarkets and grocery stores. ...
,
Stonyfield Farm and
Organic Valley, as well as local producers, about the possibility of selling milk to them, but were rejected.
In April 2009, the group made an agreement with
Smiling Hill Farm
Smiling Hill Farm is a 500 acre traditional New England farm encompassing parts of the municipalities of Westbrook, Scarborough, and Gorham, Maine. Founded in 1720 as the homestead of Nathaniel Knight, the 12th-generation descendants continue to ...
, a local milk producer, for processing, and
Oakhurst Dairy
Oakhurst Dairy is a company in the dairy industry that sells mostly milk products, as well as juices. It was founded in 1918, and is headquartered in Portland, Maine.
History
The company's earliest predecessor was a dairy farm founded in 1902 by A ...
agreed to transport the products.
Funding for MOOMilk, which needed
$500,000 to begin operations, was provided by the state of Maine, as well as from private sources, including Stonyfield Farm.
At its beginning, MOOMilk sold milk to
Hannaford Hannaford may refer to:
People
* Alf Hannaford (1890–1969), South Australian inventor and industrialist
* Ann Hannaford Lamar (born 1952), American jurist
* Charlie Hannaford (footballer) (1896–1970), English footballer
* Clive Hannaford (19 ...
,
Associated Grocers of Maine and dozens of independent stores in Maine.
The company began selling milk in January 2010, but within a year ran into financial troubles.
Its revenue was inadequate, and it relied on a mix of private investment and grant money to continue operating.
With a minimal advertising budget, the company struggled to find consumers willing to purchase its milk, and several of its founding members left.
By September 2010, with only $1,400 in cash assets, the company was forced to partially stop production of milk.
At the time, the company was able to pay bills to its farmers, but was unable to cover its
overhead costs.
In December 2010,
Whole Foods Market stores in Massachusetts began selling MOOMilk products, but even so, the company still needed outside money in order to survive.
The story of Maine's Organic Milk Company (MOOMilk) has been documented by Pull-Start Pictures in the documentary, "Betting the Farm".
References
{{reflist
External links
MOOMilk's official websiteBetting the Farm film
Dairy products companies of the United States
Companies based in Kennebec County, Maine
Defunct companies based in Maine