Albert Straus

Albert Straus, 61, founder and CEO of Straus Family Creamery in Northern California, spearheaded the organic milk movement in the U.S. Local dairymen who followed his lead survived.

Those who didn’t mostly went out of business.

In the 1970s, Straus thought about going into electrical engineering, then realized how much he loved the outdoors, being his own boss, and working with animals. He also realized that survival of his father’s small dairy farm in Marin County depended on innovation. Family-owned dairy farms committed to good stewardship of the land and animal welfare were in free fall as large, industrial operations encroached, causing the price of milk to drop to an unsustainable level.

Instead of joining the herd, so to speak, the Strauses stopped using chemical fertilizers and herbicides and transitioned their dairy cows to organic, charging a premium price for their milk that reflected the true cost of production and manufacturing.

“People thought I was crazy,” he says, “but now we have close to 90 percent of dairies in Marin and Sonoma counties that are certified organic and haven’t lost any in the last five years.”

Straus’s farm is comprised of 500 acres and 300 milking cows. Another 2,500 cows on nine local, organically certified farms contribute to generate 16,000 gallons of milk a day. The creamery produces close to 100 SKUs, including yogurt, ice cream for scoop shops, and barista milk for coffee shops.

Furthermore, he has taken sustainability to new levels, devising methods to make electricity from manure by capturing methane gas. This renewable energy powers his electric vehicles and makes hot water to wash the equipment.

“Small family farms are now a solution to climate change,” Straus says, “and livestock are an integral part of that system.” 

Highlights

1970s-1980s—Stopped the use of chemical and synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.

1977—Albert Straus returned to the family farm after graduating from California Polytechnic State University where he studied husbandry and dairy science. 

1993—Transitioned roughly 250 dairy cows to a fully organic diet and ceased using any antibiotics or hormones.

1994—Founded Straus Family Creamery, the first certified organic creamery in the U.S. and the first certified organic dairy west of the Mississippi. Cream-top milk launched in the marketplace followed by French-style, hand-packed butter in bulk. European-style yogurt lines would follow.

2010—Straus Family Creamery was verified non-GMO by the Non-GMO Project, becoming the first creamery to do so in North America.

2012-2013—The company continues to innovate with Greek yogurt and sour cream product introductions.