Business Monday: Meadow Gold milk from Kohala dairy now sold in virtual grocery store

An online shopping platform based on O‘ahu is now carrying milk from Big Island-based Meadow Gold, Hawai‘i’s last remaining dairy processor.

This month, Farm Link Hawaiʻi began offering Meadow Gold’s Island Fresh brand, marking the first time Oʻahu residents have had access to locally produced milk in the virtual grocery store since 2018.

This partnership with Meadow Gold Dairies Hawaiʻi represents a tangible step toward renewing Hawai‘i’s dairy industry and reducing the state’s dependence on imported food products, while encouraging Hawai‘i consumers to invest in the local food system, according to a joint press release from Meadow Gold and Farm Link.

“Offering 100% local milk has been a goal of ours since the early days of Farm Link,” CEO Claire Sullivan said. “We’re thrilled to get this product into our customers’ hands and make it possible for households to purchase local milk that supports the renewal of our islands’ dairy farmers.”

Sullivan said the milk is off to a great start.

“We sold over 300 units in the first month, and sales are picking up as folks adjust their shopping habits to upgrade to local milk,” Sullivan told Big Island Now. “We are see a growing number of customers reordering local milk weekly, making it a central part of their grocery routine.”

Farm Link Hawaiʻi’s product lineup now includes more than 600 unique local items. Currently, the online grocery store only services customers on O‘ahu.

Meadow Gold’s milk comes from cows at Cloverleaf Dairy in Kohala and is processed in Hilo. The milk is pasteurized using the industry standard high-temperature short-time method, which preserves quality and ensures safe consumption, the release stated.

The 900-acre Cloverleaf farm, located 50 miles north of Kona, has operated since 1962. Currently, the farm is home to 500 milking cows and an additional 500 calves, heifers and dry cows located on three other parcels, some in the neighboring community of Pa’auilo.

The farm is producing 3,000 gallons of milk per day. It is the only commercial dairy in the state, according to the state Department of Agriculture.

Sullivan said milk is a key grocery staple for many Hawai‘i households. 

“Not having milk on Farm Link’s virtual shelves meant that we routinely sent customers somewhere else to buy their milk, and then sometimes we lost the rest of their shopping trip, too,” she said. “Having this core staple item ensures that we can better serve households in their search for local groceries, and thereby continue growing our support not only for the dairy, but for all the 330 plus Hawaiʻi farmers, ranchers and food makers whose goods we sell at Farm Link.”

Bahman Sadeghi, president of Meadow Gold, said the partnership with Farm Link is opening new markets for Big Island’s local milk, which has a direct impact on Big Island jobs in agriculture, manufacturing and distribution.

“Additionally, more customers purchasing local milk helps Hawai’i move toward food security,” Sadeghi said.

Meadow Gold would like to expand into both online markets and other retailers, but only if it can do so in a sustainable and responsible way, while ensuring the company continues to serve its current customers before taking on any new ones, Sadeghi said.

This new partnership comes amid a lawsuit filed in Hawai‘i’s U.S. District Court by the Center for Food Safety against the dairy company on allegations of discharging milk and manure into the Pacific Ocean.

Charles Tebutt, who represents the Washington D.C.-based nonprofit, said parties involved with the litigation are negotiating to stop the alleged pollution.

Along with Meadow Gold Dairies, the lawsuit names Boteilho Hawai‘i Enterprises, which owns Cloverleaf Dairy, and Sadeghi, who is a primary shareholder of Boteilho Hawai‘i Enterprises.

In response to the ongoing litigation, Sadeghi said: “Our goal is to run a dairy at the highest standard and going beyond regulatory requirements, which we are doing.”

Until the early 1980s, Sullivan of Farm Link said the state produced almost all of its own milk locally.

“Since then, the local industry has dwindled to a single dairy,” Sullivan said. “Rebuilding the dairy industry is critical to our mission to transform the local food system into a thriving industry.”