Larry Chetcuti marched into the Morningstar Farm market store like a man on a mission last week.

B次元官网网址淗ey, listen. IB次元官网网址檝e been running around like a chicken with its head off,B次元官网网址� he announced to anyone who would listen. B次元官网网址淵ou know where thereB次元官网网址檚 a farm thatB次元官网网址檚 sellinB次元官网网址� milk?B次元官网网址�

Morningstar Farm co-owner Ray Gourlay broke off a conversation he was holding in the back of the store and turned to Chetcuti.

B次元官网网址淵ou just found it,B次元官网网址� he replied.

Minutes later, Chetcuti was filling his own jug from a milk dispenser just outside the store, the first of its kind in B.C. and possibly in Canada.

Since GourlayB次元官网网址檚 parents, Clarke and Nancy Gourlay, started MorningstarB次元官网网址檚 dairy farm in 2001, all of its cowsB次元官网网址� milk production had gone to the cheese marketed through its Little Qualicum Cheeseworks. That changed last year when Morningstar Farm B次元官网网址済raduatedB次元官网网址� from the Canadian Dairy FarmersB次元官网网址� cottage industry program and became eligible to sell its milk.

B次元官网网址淲e knew we wanted to sell milk, because weB次元官网网址檝e had a consistent demand,B次元官网网址� said Ray Gourlay, co-owner and assistant manager at the family owned farm at 403 Lowrys Rd. in Parksville. B次元官网网址淧eople have been asking for a long time. We knew we wanted to offer more value to the farm and keep in line with our value of bringing people onto the farm and promoting food awareness, food education and food empowerment.B次元官网网址�

The coin- or token-operated milk dispensing machine resulted from the GourlaysB次元官网网址� research into starting up milk production. The most common method they discovered in Canada was a traditional bottling line.

B次元官网网址淚t takes lot of equipment, a huge investment, lots of infrastructure that takes up lots of space, and a lot of work cleaning all those bottles that come back,B次元官网网址� Ray said. B次元官网网址淲e thought we could skip all that and also provide something thatB次元官网网址檚 innovative and new and interesting by opting for a milk dispenser.B次元官网网址�

Morningstar Farm offers its own, labeled one-litre glass bottles, for a one-time cost of $4. They can be used, washed and re-used, similar to refilling of a growler at a brew pub.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e compared it to refilling beer growlers, but donB次元官网网址檛 actually use a beer growler,B次元官网网址� Gourlay said. B次元官网网址淭he top is narrow and theyB次元官网网址檙e really dark, so theyB次元官网网址檙e hard to clean. People can reuse the bottles we sell or bring in their own clean and sanitized milk bottles, juice pitchers, Mason jars; as long as you can reach into it and clean it out.B次元官网网址�

The milk is pasteurized but non-homogenized, which means the cream will float to the top when the bottle has had time to rest. The average milkfat content is 4.1 per cent, Gourlay said, but it can vary depending on the season and the cowsB次元官网网址� diet. The shelf life is rated for 10 days, Gourlay said.

Cost from the dispenser is $2 per litre.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not making a killing,B次元官网网址� Gourlay said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not a get-rich project; itB次元官网网址檚 an add value project.B次元官网网址�

Morningstar Farm has 50 milking dairy cows at any given time, and another 15-20 in juvenile and B次元官网网址渄ryB次元官网网址� cows, which are resting between lactation cycles. Gourlay said the herd produces an average of 1,700 litres of milk per day, the bulk of which continues to go toward cheese-making.

B次元官网网址淭he amount weB次元官网网址檙e selling in fluid milk is negligible in comparison, under 50 litres per day,B次元官网网址� said Gourlay. B次元官网网址淲e want to sell more milk, so weB次元官网网址檙e trying to get the word out. We absolutely have the capacity to sell a lot of milk.B次元官网网址�

Just donB次元官网网址檛 expect to see Morningstar Farms milk dispensers popping up across Vancouver Island. At least, not in the short term.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not going to start putting these dispensers up all over the Island, at least not for the foreseeable future,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淲e love that people have to come here to get it, because itB次元官网网址檚 part of facilitating community as a concept.

B次元官网网址淏ut thereB次元官网网址檚 about four or five dairy farms that are also dairy processors, and thereB次元官网网址檚 no reason they couldnB次元官网网址檛 have milk dispensers. It would be terrific if, one day, in any major community in the province you could swing by a dairy and get local milk. ThatB次元官网网址檚 the dream.B次元官网网址�

And a dream come true for Chetcuti, who stumbled onto the farm for the first time after seeing a news report on the new milk dispenser.

B次元官网网址淗ey, I lived here since 1966 and I donB次元官网网址檛 know about this farm,B次元官网网址� Chetcuti said. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 believe it.B次元官网网址�