Holy Cow 3.17

Holy Cow is a small, family owned and run dairy farm in Reynoldstown, Port Chalmers, owned by Merrall and Alex MacNeille.

Holy Cow milks 24 Jersey cows, known for their gentle nature and high fat-content milk. Every cow in our milking herd has their own name and own stall where she is fed and milked. The cows make their way into the barn to their stalls independently each day and listen to classical music while they are being milked.

Our farming is an organic practice. We are no longer organically certified, as we have been unable to secure a large enough supply of organic supplementary feed during the winter.

Our milk is pasteurised and MPI approved. We pasteurise at 63 degrees for 30 minutes, which is the minimum requirement. By heating our milk at a lower temperature, but for a longer period, we are able to maintain a great taste.

Our milk is NOT homogenised. This means the milk separates, with the cream settling at the top of the milk. Gentle shaking will mix the milk and cream back together. The main advantage of NOT homogenising milk is that the body can absorb and process the protein of the milk. The main disadvantage is that the milk has a shorter shelf life.

Holy Cow is committed to being as sustainable as possible. We use glass milk bottles, and wash and reuse all of our packaging.