Arethusa Farm Beginnings.

“The Litchfield Enquirer noted on February 6, 1868 “Charles Baldwin Webster has bought the William Thompson property on South Plains.”…They named the farm Arethusa for the small pink slipper orchid that grew in a swamp on the land.”
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Arethusa Farm remained in the Webster family for one hundred and thirteen years. The Websters had a prize- winning Guernsey herd and delivered milk in glass bottles all over Litchfield.

Today, Arethusa Dairy Farm in Litchfield, is home to 475 cows ( Aka, the “Ladies,”) on 200 acres of beautiful grass-covered farmland. They are at the center of an exciting new milk, on the shelf at New Morning, as of June 22. The milk is pasteurized and homogenized, 24 hours fresh, from Arethusa Farm to New Morning Store. It passes through a small farm in Bolton CT, where small batch pasteurization, using a low temperature/quick cooling process yields a premium taste second to none. George says he’s been accused of adding vanilla to the milk due its sweet, clean taste! The milk is pesticide, antibiotic and growth hormone-free. If a cow should require antibiotic treatment for health reasons, her milk is withheld following rigorous drug protocols approved by the FDA.  Arethusa milk will be initially retailing at New Morning in whole and 2 percent at $3.99 a half-gallon size for GreenShare members, (New Morning’s special card savings program). " Arethusa milk will be initially retailing at New Morning in whole and 2 percent at $3.99 a half-gallon size and a half-gallon of Half & Half creamer for $6.50. 
Arethusa co-owners George Malkemus and Tony Yurgaitis, are known in media savvy circles as the executives of Manolo Blahnik USA, the company whose high-end designer shoes were made famous on "Sex and the City." Arethusa Farm, as established in 1999, was always intended to be a dairy. In the early 2000s, after much diligent and careful herd selection and breeding, George and Tony’s farm became known worldwide for its show animals.

No stranger to New Morning, Arethusa co-owner,George, has a longstanding customer relationship with the Store that hearkens back to New Morning’s Hollow store location. John Pittari and George reminisce about many conversations shared as to how George could best position his milk. It was no surprise to John, that New Morning was identified as the local store best suited to bring the milk to market. It fits perfectly with the Store’s mission to promote quality local and regional producers. New Morning’s tagline, “Good Food for Change” speaks to this. As consumers have become more discerning about how and under what conditions their food is produced, New Morning’s partnership with businesses like Arethusa, gives people an opportunity to taste the “local, done well” difference.

Fast forward to May 2009, George’s research was complete and in putting the finishing touches on retail, he wanted to provide New Morning staff a hands on experience to help them communicate the "Arethusa difference" to customers. Friday, May 29, John and several key staff, toured the farm and listened to the dairy managers explain the animal care, milk processing, and distribution planning necessary to produce a fresh and local single source "milk like it used to taste". What a project!

The Arethusa herd is 75 percent Holstein and 25 percent Jersey, with access to pasture for six months when grass turns green in early Spring until the the snow falls on the fields. Holsteins produce more milk but Jerseys yield much higher fat and protein content. Arethusa’s General Manager, Ernie Kueffner came on board, from his Baltimore farm, only when he was assured that Arethusa would place the animals’ needs first. His philosophy paid off and over the years, Melanie and Diva, two of the farm’s breeding superstars are world champions in international competitions and the foundation stock for the acclaimed Arethusa herd.

The animals are impeccably groomed from head to tail. Farm Manager, Terri Packard, explained that the de-horning process is done a little later than usual. They never know whether they have a new champion. Great care is taken to ensure that the results for all animals are stress free and visually attractive. New Morning staff will testify that the cows were incredibly friendly, and socially inclined, a testimony to their excellent care.

Depending on their various life stages, the cows diets are custom rationed by a wireless feed bin that dispenses exactly the right mix, nutritionally appropriate for each cow, dropped in front of each stall four times daily. Fat to protein ratio is monitored monthly. Somatic cell count testing (SCC), the count that measures the bacteria level in the milk, is done weekly to ensure that quality standards are always met. 

Arethusa Farm delivers their milk, 24 hours fresh, from their Litchfield farm to New Morning. Small batch pasteurization is done at a local Bolton farm, using a low temperature/quick cooling process that yields a premium taste. Not to mention the peace of mind knowing exactly where and how your milk was prepared for your family!

Try some! You can give Arethusa milk a taste test Friday, June 26th at the Ice Cream Social benefit. We recommend you test drive it with Gilbert’s Gourmet Cookies. Hmmm. And, you can see a couple calves for yourself. We think you’ll agree, they’re real beauties!