New brand milks glass bottle tradition

Seventh-generation dairy farmers Julian and Cathy Raine of Nelson are teaming up with glass manufacturer O-I to bring A2 cows’ milk fresh from the farm to milk lovers around New Zealand, in one-litre glass bottles under the name Aunt Jean’s Dairy.

Initially, Aunt Jean’s Dairy milk will be available in the top of the South Island and in selected Auckland outlets, with plans for wider national distribution in early 2017.

The Raine family have been milking cows at their Oaklands Farm property for more than 80 years continuously, providing milk lovers with the opportunity to buy their milk from the farm gate and from dispensing machines in the Nelson Tasman area since 2013. The couple are excited to launch Aunt Jean’s Dairy, so that they can share their milk enhanced by the great taste that comes with drinking milk from high-quality glass bottles.

“We firmly believe that milk in glass bottles tastes better,” says Julian. “We know that New Zealanders were very reluctant to make the shift to plastic. We think the time is right to provide a way for them to drink milk fresh from the farm in a one-litre glass bottle. After all, glass is infinitely recyclable and that has got to be a good thing.”

Aunt Jean’s Dairy uses milk from A2 cows that are raised in an open-air environment. There is no palm kernel expeller in their feed, and they are mainly grass-fed. Aunt Jean’s Dairy milk is bottled on the farm, contains no permeates, and is not homogenised – allowing Kiwis to once again buy milk where the cream rises to the top.

“Aunt Jean’s Dairy is milk like it used to taste,” says Julian. “Some traditions are worth rediscovering.”