Building a community (and really big letters) key to Little Brown Cow’s success

Little Brown Cow at Brantford, Ont.

Last weekend, Jenny Butcher and Wes Kuntz, of Brantford, Ont., were named one of two winners of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers for the year.

The honour is no surprise. The two have been farming together for 13 years, and in just the last six years, have managed to buy a property, expand their Jersey herd, build a processing facility, and open a local food store.

Butcher says that local food was always the goal for the two of them, and they’ve been working towards this goal of a milk, to cheese, to customer business model since the beginning.

Jenny Butcher and Wes Kuntz, Little Brown Cow dairy (Facebook/Supplied)

That commitment to local goes both ways, of course, and, understanding the importance of building community, Little Brown Cow dairy has a significant presence on social media. Butcher says using the power of social media has helped them build those face to face interactions that are the heart and soul of their business.

One of the best business lessons they’ve learned? Own the farm product all the way to retail.

“We don’t wholesale any of our products,” Butcher says, adding that their farm’s milk, chocolate milk, cheese, and beef account for about half of the sales (by value) of the Local Food Emporium.

Listen on to hear more from Jenny Butcher, including how the business has grown and the story of how Little Brown Cow got its name and sign:  

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