Greener Than Grass!

Aim

To reinforce our eco-friendly values we would love to be able to reduce our carbon foodprint with an electric van and solar panel car port

***Thank you!***

A big thank you to everyone who got on board and supported our greener than grass campaign. We really do appreciate all of your pledges and these will all go towards the purchase of our electric delivery van. 

Although we didn't reach our target we are still grateful for your contributions and will continue to progress our business with our eco-friendly, ethical values at the forefront of everything we do.

We will be sending out all of the unique rewards over the next few weeks, enjoy!

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Taw River Dairy - Glass bottled milk, luxury ice cream and sorbet in the heart of Devon

With your help...

As our farm and processing activities develop it is important to us to remain as environmentally conscious as possible. We are now running daily delivery routes around Devon with our glass bottled milk and with your help we're on a new mission to reduce our carbon emissions. We already produce, pasteurise and process our rich creamy milk and ice cream on site to provide a short supply chain and very low food miles. But does it not undermine our eco-friendly efforts a little if we then transport our green produce in a dirty diesel van?

We want to reinforce our sustainable farm and processing business and we need your help! 

With your help we would love to purchase our very own electric van in an attempt to neutralise our carbon foodprint. We currently have a well used diesel delivery van to help us, however, we have greener dreams and have our eyes on a Nissan ENV200. If we are fortunate enough to exceed our initial van target we will then invest in solar panels, energy storage and hopefully a timber frame car port too. We are aware that running an electric delivery van alone is not the perfect solution, fossil fuels are often still burnt when creating electricity for the national grid. If your generosity allows the addition of solar panels it would easily offset the annual electricity consumption of our electric van. When building the car port we will utilise as much reclaimed timber and materials from the farm as possible, with a little help from local suppliers for any extra's we may need. This will also allow us to take best care of the new van by storing it under cover! 

Why help us?

Our land base and livestock have been built up by ourselves over the past few years, and after starting with nothing we feel this is quite an achievement. Our dream has always been to share this with you and provide you with our premium products. When necessary we always source local hay for our herd, we love to buy local products for ourselves and therefore supplying the local community with our products in return feels great. We are proud to be able to enhance the local economy with our products and business. From supplying village post offices with our milk to providing unique employment opportunities. Having a low carbon emission delivery service will allow us to expand our customer community without compromising our ethical values. 

Want to know more about Taw River Dairy first? Read on to find out more about life on the farm...

Taw River Dairy is tucked away in the heart of rural Devon. Owned and run by us, Sam and Katie, a passionate, young couple with a love for animals and the countryside. 

Our aim is to farm sustainably and as naturally as possible, allowing all our cows to rear their own calves is fundamental to our holistic beliefs.

Ethical. Sustainable. Irresistible. 

Life on the farm 

Our eco-friendly farm is now home to over 50 Jersey cows, who spend the majority of the year (up to 300 days) free ranging around our lush grassy paddocks. We believe that happy cows produce happy milk, and we think that because our cows are grazing bio-diverse swards and all rear their own calves then they must be among the happiest cows in the country. Due to our natural system the cows are only milked once a day, we take just half of the milk to make sure the calves do not go hungry. This creamy raw milk is then taken to our on-site processing room, here it is turned into the delicious products that we distribute to our local area.  

Our eco friendly values 

Taw River Dairy has always been about caring for our environment, wherever possible we use sustainable options, from re-usable glass bottles to compostable ice cream spoons. All our land and animals are farmed organically and we even have our own bee hives, our bees are important in the pollination of our herbal and grass leys. When we reseed our fields we plant multi-species mixes, this creates vast biodiversity within each field. By having so many plant varieties we encourage different insects and birds to the farm. Due to the low intensity of our farming methods there is minimal farm inputs, this means that our 400 acre farm area sequesters far more carbon than we release. We have planted in excess of 3000 trees on our farm in the last few years which has improved our carbon footprint even further. We also plan to re-establish old hedgerows within the newest area of our farm and this could result in at least as many trees being planted again! 

More than just milk

Not only do we offer delicious fresh milk we also make luxurious ice creams and sorbets. From our simple signature Just Jersey through to the more indulgent Hazelnut Praline, there's even some alcoholic sorbets on the menu such as Strawberry Prosecco or Gin and Elderflower! 

We also offer a bespoke event hire service with our vintage style ice-cream trikes, with our friendly staff serving a range of our dairy delights in a unique and fun way. You can find us at local events, village fêtes, festivals and weddings throughout the year. 

You can pick up our milk and retail size tubs of ice cream in a variety of local shops all listed on the stockists page of our website at tawriverdairy.co.uk/stockists. You may even be served up some of our frozen fancies in one of many pubs and restaurants in the area. To find out where head over to our stockists page or contact us for more information. 

Our latest collaboration has lead us to partner with The Dartmoor Soap Co to produce the Gold Bar, a 100% natural milk based soap bar. All their soap is handmade in small batches using natural ingredients which, wherever possible, are sustainably sourced and harvested on Dartmoor. Each decision made is taken with the upmost respect for both the local and global environment: All their packaging is totally biodegradable, their ingredients are as locally sourced as possible and neither their natural soaps nor their ingredients are tested on animals. All their products are made without palm oil. 

What we can offer you...

We have a whole herd of unique rewards to offer anyone wishing to support our electric dream. You can choose from classic Taw River Dairy products, our limited edition tea towel designed by local Dartmoor artist Marielle Ebner-Rejke or a thank you message in a milk bottle to display on your mantelpiece. If you have a little more to contribute and are looking for an excuse to get dressed up you could attend our showcase dinner of dairy delights this Autumn. Our fine dining experience will be held at a local venue where we will be serving up some exquisite produce from the farm, expertly prepared by a much celebrated local chef. 

Perhaps you want to dig out those wellies and get hands on with our herd? We are so pleased to be able to offer the opportunity to experience farm life for yourselves. You can start by relaxing in the luxury accommodation at the Smiling Sheep smallholding, tucked away in a secluded spot in the lush countryside between Dartmoor and Exmoor. The private little converted thatched barn (known as The Linhay) will be your own tranquil hideaway. Your stay will include a classic English breakfast delivered to your door to set you up for a morning down at the farm! Head over to www.smilingsheep.co.uk to see more. 

When you are ready you can put on those wellies and come down to the farm to meet the Girls and even have a go at milking! As we do everything on site you can then move on to our processing room where you can make your very own ice cream! So, don't forget to let us know what your favourite flavour is! 

It would be amazing for us to have your help and support to achieve our dream, we really can't thank you enough for believing in us. Please feel free to contact us if you would like any further information.

Thank you for your generous support, Sam, Katie and the Girls! 

Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using @tawriverdairy or head over to our website Taw River Dairy

This project successfully funded on 22nd March 2019