Milk in Glass Bottles Makes a Comeback for Family Dairies

Dairies and creameries are discovering that Americans still long for the simplicity of a cold bottle of milk and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. These family-owned enterprises have tapped in to the trend that has fueled the growth of locally-sourced foods and organic produce and the emergence of natural food juggernauts like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

“The glass bottle represents what’s different about us,” says Rich Martin, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Straus Family Creamery on Tomales Bay near San Francisco. “The glass bottle reinforces our company positioning that we do a lot of things the old fashioned way…back when products were pure and simple.”

Martin says the family-owned business has used glass bottles since it was founded in 1941, but placed a greater emphasis on the packaging in the 1990s when they became the first dairy to produce certified organic milk west of the Mississippi.

“The taste of the milk is superior and unspoiled when in glass. The glass also conducts cold better and keeps fresher,” adds Tom Rubino, who founded Hudson Milk Company, a Shrub Oak, New York-based milk delivery service, in 1994. “And, yes, there’s a certain niche for nostalgia as well.”

Straus's Martin notes that there has been increasing demand for glass-bottled milk. The creamery’s glass bottle business grew by over 20% in 2010 and experienced growth rates in the 10% to 20% range even in the depths of the recession. The demand has been so strong, in fact, that Straus has even considered offering single-serve yogurt in glass packaging.

Another benefit of using glass is the “green” nature of it. Home delivery services like Hudson typically reuse the glass bottles, which they deliver and collect with every run. Straus uses a deposit return system, where consumers deposit $1.50 per bottle, which is returned when they bring the bottle back to the store they purchased it from. “Our return rate is in the 80 percent to 95 percent range, which is excellent,” says Straus’s Martin.

Currently, most glass-bottled milk is sold through independent and natural food stores, such as Whole Foods, or through home delivery. While selling glass-bottled milk through large food chains is not a primary goal of these dairies and creameries, many would see it as a good thing if the practice became more widespread.

“It's our hope that more and more regional dairies start selling glass bottle milk. Get back to a time when everyone had their local dairy. Get back to a time when everyone sold cold milk in glass bottles,” concludes Martin. “It's this emotional connection people have to glass milk bottles.”  Get a list of companies offering glass-bottled milk