Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse
Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse is a regenerative & sustainable, 100% grass-fed family farm. We create foods that nourish people in harmony with nature. Good, wholesome, nutritious food is a passion for us, and creating good food in a sustainable manner, while healing the earth, is our life’s mission. That's why we make our products using methods that resemble how things were done over 200 years ago, melding old and new to usher us into a healthy and vibrant future that heals the missteps of the more recent past.
Founders Jonathan and Nina White are pioneers of modern-day, 100% grass-fed, farmstead cheeses in the United States. When they founded Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse on leased land in 2002, the purpose was to prove that it was possible to make small-scale regenerative farming a viable and vibrant option for landowners in the northeast.
At that time, many landowners were breaking up their properties in order to build tract housing, or using the land for subsidy farming which was damaging the local environment and taking value away from the immediate community.
When the couple purchased the current location in 2010, the fields had been in a conventional crop rotation for many years. The land was a barren eroded landscape of corn stubble and parched earth. The road past the farm was often closed due to flooding during heavy rainfall.
Within a year of replanting the pasture, the flooding and erosion subsided, and the organic matter and microbial flora began to return. Indeed, a Rutgers University study of the microbiome and fertility of our pastures charted the doubling of soil organic matter in just ten years.
This is a true and relevant tale of regeneration, part of the important work our world faces as we seek to use well-managed animal husbandry to sequester carbon and reverse global warming.
Over the years, Bobolink has raised the standard for local cheeses, and was part of the rejuvenation of American Farmstead cheese. This fact led to a participation in an international farmstead cheese contest in Lyon, France in 2018. Bobolink's Cider-washed Amram took the Silver Medal!
In addition to trail blazing work in cheese, Bobolink has embraced the mission of sourcing locally for the Bakehouse as well. Within the region, there is a strong small grains initiative in progress, and Bobolink's bakehouse production features the products of local grain growers.The meat production is also a reflection of Bobolink's commitment to ethical animal welfare practices, and our meats are sold on a retail basis only, due to the limited availability of our slow grown livestock. Charcuterie plays a large role in making the most of every morsel of these precious lives, and we use whey fermentation, fresh herbs, and spices to preserve the bounty. No preservatives or chemical additives are used in any facet of our production.
