Our Story

Our Story

For those who believe that cream cheese on a bagel is almost a fundamental right, here’s how we made it happen. Our lactose-free journey begins with a bit of a surprise - it actually all started with goats.

At the heart of Green Valley Creamery lactose-free dairy products is the renowned goat dairy and creamery that started a movement towards clean dairy made with wholesome and delicate goat milk: Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery. Located in Northern California's beautiful Sonoma County, Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery was founded by Jennifer Bice in 1968 and is known for its delicious goat milk yogurt and kefir.

Over the years, our team has gained a lot of experience making delicious dairy for people with sensitive stomachs and specific digestive needs. Our goat milk dairy could be consumed without worry by many people sensitive to dairy, except for those who are truly lactose intolerant. This is why, in 2010, we launched the Green Valley Creamery brand of lactose-free cow dairy products using the same attention to quality that Redwood Hill Farm is famous for.

Out of a deep commitment to delicious dairy, we started with yogurt and kefir, and later sour cream, cream cheese, butter, cottage cheese, and now, Greek yogurt. Working with lactose-free milk requires a careful approach in order to culture it into traditional yogurt and cream cheese. That’s where our expert experience handling delicate goat milk came in handy.

There are more lactose-intolerant and lactose-sensitive people in America than gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian people combined – an estimated 30-50 million – that’s 12% of the population. It’s not a very outspoken community and most seem to have just stopped eating dairy altogether. It is our mission to bring back the indulgence and joy of real dairy to those who are no longer able to enjoy its great taste and nutritional benefits.

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Out of a deep commitment to delicious dairy, we started with yogurt and kefir, and later sour cream, cream cheese, butter, cottage cheese, and now, Greek yogurt. Working with lactose-free milk requires a careful approach in order to culture it into traditional yogurt and cream cheese. That’s where our expert experience handling delicate goat milk came in handy.

There are more lactose-intolerant and lactose-sensitive people in America than gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian people combined – an estimated 30-50 million – that’s 12% of the population. It’s not a very outspoken community and most seem to have just stopped eating dairy altogether. It is our mission to bring back the indulgence and joy of real dairy to those who are no longer able to enjoy its great taste and nutritional benefits.

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"There are a lot of people who want to eat real dairy, so I set out to bring that simple joy back into their lives."

Jennifer Bice, Founder
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Sustainability

We believe in making really good food and we do it sustainably – our creamery in Sebastopol California uses 100% renewable energy and the least amount of water possible.

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We take a personal responsibility for the well-being of the animals, the environment and the people who make Green Valley Creamery dairy products. Our personal actions are based on our values, and running a business in this manner is just a natural extension.

  • 100% renewable energy: The creamery where we produce our dairy products is powered by 2 acres of solar panels on the roof, which cover 85% of our electricity needs. The remainder is sourced through Sonoma Clean Power, ensuring that 100% of our electricity needs come from renewable sources.
  • Preserving resources: We have an extensive water conservation and water reclamation program at the creamery. Any opportunity we get to make our facility more sustainable, we use: from extensive recycling, insulation, eco-sanitizers, sensor lighting, to repurposing scraps from production and whey for animal feed.
  • Animal welfare: The family farms from where we source the milk used in our organic yogurts and kefirs must be Certified Humane® by Humane Farm Animal Care. We work closely with our milk producers to ensure all standards are met and the animals are in good health in a stress-free environment.
  • People: Our employees all start employment at a living wage. We have a generous benefits package for all employees including full family health benefits. Employees stay with us for a long time; one of our oldest employees just had his 24th anniversary, and has worked his way up from being an exchange student at the farm to becoming our VP of Operations.
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