🥛 From Connecticut Farms to Your Cart: 3 Local Dairy Brands to Look For
Some of the best ways to support Connecticut agriculture are hiding in plain sight… right in the dairy case at your local grocery store! Every gallon of milk, block of cheddar, and pint of ice cream you purchase sends a message about where your food comes from and who it supports.
Three brands that you probably already recognize make this choice easy: The Farmer's Cow, Cabot Creamery, and Arethusa Farm Dairy. Each one starts with real dairy farmers, and each one has deep roots in Connecticut agriculture. Here's what makes them special and why they deserve a spot in your cart.
🐄 The Farmer's Cow: Six Connecticut Families, One Label
The Farmer's Cow is owned by six family dairy farms in eastern Connecticut. It all started because farm visitors kept asking the same question: where can we buy your milk? Today you'll find it in stores across Southern New England and New York.
Meet the farms behind the label:
Mapleleaf Farms (Hebron) – a family farm since 1903
Cushman Farms (Franklin) – a family farm since 1936
Fort Hill Farms (Thompson) – since 1943
Hytone Farm (Coventry) – since 1944
Fairvue Farms (Woodstock) – since 1961
Graywall Farms (Lebanon) – since 1989
These farms do so much more than make milk. Together they care for thousands of acres of farmland, much of it permanently protected through Connecticut's Farmland Preservation Program. Several use manure digesters to create renewable energy, and member farms have earned New England Green Pastures awards and Connecticut Dairy Farm of Distinction honors.
Look for: milk in half-gallons and gallons, large brown cage-free eggs, and seasonal favorites.
Bonus Points: if you are near Willimantic or Berlin, stop by the Farmers Cow Calfé for fresh wraps, sandwiches, sweet treats & more!
🧀 Cabot Creamery: Farmer-Owned Since 1919
Cabot has been owned and run by dairy farmers for more than 100 years. It's part of the Agri-Mark cooperative, whose member farm families are spread across New England and New York—including right here in Connecticut. When you buy Cabot, the profits go back to those farm families, not outside shareholders.
Cabot was also the first dairy cooperative to become a Certified B Corporation, meaning it's independently held to high standards for how it treats its workers, communities, and the environment.
Look for: award-winning cheddar in blocks, slices, shreds, and snack sizes. Butter, Greek yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, and dips.
A note from Amanda: A few years ago I had the opportunity to guest judge the Big E cheese competition (more on that later)! I was surrounded by cheese mongers from all over New England and New York. It was a fabulous day… and the Cabot Triple Cream Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt won best in show!
🍦 Arethusa Farm Dairy: Litchfield County's Award-Winning Herd
Arethusa Farm sits in Litchfield, Connecticut, where founders George Malkemus and Tony Yurgaitis built one of the most celebrated dairy herds in the country. Their Holsteins, Jerseys, Brown Swiss, and Ayrshires regularly win top honors at national dairy shows.
Milk from those cows (and since 2020, other Connecticut cows) is bottled and turned into ice cream, yogurt, butter, and cheese at the farm's own Connecticut dairy. Arethusa also runs a dairy store and a farm-to-table restaurant in nearby Bantam.
Europa is their best known cheese, having won several awards both locally and nationally!
Look for: whole and chocolate milk, rich small-batch ice cream, yogurt, and farmstead cheeses.
🚜 Why “CT Grown” Matters
The Connecticut Grown program helps shoppers find food produced right here in the state, making it easier to support local farmers and enjoy fresher products. Each of these brands connects to Connecticut agriculture in its own way:
The Farmer's Cow: raised, milked, and bottled by Connecticut farm families
Arethusa Farm Dairy: every step, from herd to ice cream, stays in Litchfield County
Cabot Creamery: a farmer-owned co-op that returns its earnings to member farms, including Connecticut farm families
Keep an eye out for the CT Grown logo on shelf tags and signs in the dairy aisle.
🌼 5 Reasons to Shop These Brands
Your dollars stay close to home: Farmer-owned and family-owned brands keep money in New England farm communities.
You help protect farmland: Connecticut dairy farms keep thousands of acres open, green, and working.
Fresher from a shorter trip: Milk from eastern Connecticut or Litchfield County travels fewer miles to your store.
Real care for the land: Renewable energy projects, preserved acreage, and B Corp standards show these farms take stewardship seriously.
Quality you can taste: Prize-winning cows, award-winning cheddar, and generations of know-how go into every product.
🛒 Find Them at Your Local Grocery Store
Next time you shop, look for The Farmer's Cow in the milk case, Cabot in the cheese aisle, and a pint of Arethusa ice cream in the freezer. Don't see them? Ask your store manager—shopper requests are one of the best ways to get more local products on the shelves.
Supporting Connecticut agriculture doesn't have to mean a special trip. It can be as simple as what you put in your cart this week. Shop local, taste the difference, and celebrate the farmers who make it possible—The Pink Tractor way 💕
