Home milk delivery in glass bottles is a thing of the past, unless you're buying one of the unique milk varieties from Apple Valley Creamery in Adams County.

The Stoner dairy farm, owned by Larry and Sharon Stoner, has been in the family since 1928, but in October 2006 new life was breathed into their business.

With shrinking profit margins in the dairy industry, the Stoners had to find a way to add value to their operation. They formed a partnership with a young couple from their church - Don and Cindy Everett - to begin processing and selling milk from their 50 cows.

To get the new venture off the ground, the two families took advantage of Governor Rendell's First Industries Fund that offers Small Business First loans for land, buildings, machinery and equipment. They also received a USDA Value-Added Grant for developing value-added agricultural products to enhance their businesses.

First, a new barn was built to house the cows and the old tie-stall barn was converted into the processing plant and store.

“There is something about a converted barn that people really like,” said Don.

Don and Cindy oversee the plant where they process skim, 1.5% lowfat and whole milk, a whole cream line, chocolate, strawberry and other flavors, raw milk, and butter and ice cream.

Their most unusual products are from the cream line - the milk is not homogenized so the cream separates and rises to the top - and the 1.5% lowfat which falls between the more common one and two percent varieties.

Raw milk sales make up one-seventh of total sales at Apple Valley Creamery. Because raw milk does not go through the pasteurization process to kill any potential bacteria, its sale is closely licensed, tested and monitored by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Don recognizes that the licensing is important for human safety. “PDA sets up the rules - the permit is easy to get and hard to maintain,” he said. “They want us to sell good quality raw milk for consumers - how can we argue with that?”

The Everetts began bottling the milk in glass jars, with the intention of beginning a home delivery service. Don started delivering milk in December 2007 and has immediately seen the value of the service in their business's bottom line. In just six months, they already deliver to 100 customers up to 35 miles away.

“It's a convenience to families,” he said. “We also deliver bread and eggs so that people can miss a trip to the store and still have the fresh farm products they need.”

About half of the milk produced by the Stoner's dairy cows is used in the processing plant and the rest is sold to Land O'Lakes. They also raise beef cattle and sell the processed beef in the store.

By understanding what consumers want and meeting that demand, small family operations can run thriving businesses. That's just what the Stoner and Everett families are doing at Apple Valley Creamery. Learn more about their business at www.applevalleycreamery.com.