A Cornish dairy has introduced refillable milk stations across the South West in a bid to reduce plastic use across the business.

Trewithen Dairy's self-serve scheme offers customers the chance to pour semi-skimmed milk into glass bottles and enjoy the taste of fresh milk produced from Cornish farms.

Trewithen Dairy invested in the technology as a way to offer people quality, affordable, high-welfare produce while reducing the amount of single-use plastic being created.

There are currently 25 self-serve machines in retail outlets across the South West, with the aim of securing more sites as demand grows.

Customers are able to use one of their own suitable containers, or buy a Trewithen Dairy reusable one-litre glass bottle at each station, which should be washed in soapy water at home between each refill.

Each of the shops involved with this scheme use a 'pergal' machine to keep the milk perfectly fresh and chilled. The pergal boxes hold 13.6 litres of milk, which prevents up to 14 plastic milk bottles from being created. Inside the machine is a cardbox with a thin PET bag which holds the milk. Both the bag and the box are 100% recyclable.

The self-serve machine steam cleans itself between each use, ensuring pristine pipes to deliver the fresh milk.

Francis Clarke, Managing Director at Trewithen Dairy, said: “As part of our journey to operate as environmentally conscious as possible, we are determined to find low-carbon alternatives within our supply chain. The self-service machines is a great way of serving communities with farm fresh milk, while helping to reduce single-use plastic.

The reaction we've received from our retailers and customers so far has been fantastic and we look forward to rolling out our self-serve scheme into more areas across the South West and beyond.”

Co-founder of Trewithen Dairy, Bill Clarke, says “not all milk is the same”. Therefore he seeks out dairy farmers within Cornwall who can produce the quality of milk he wants for Trewithen Dairy.

Bill Clarke, Chairman of Trewithen Dairy: “It is not one system, breed or type of feed that delivers the best milk, it is the holistic approach to the perfect blend, achieved from the rich diversity of breeds, feeds and grasses and working with farming families who care. I have been specific about the farmers who supply us, ensuring they share the values of Trewithen Dairy and instinctively want to develop a farming business fit for future generations.”

Trewithen Dairy have launched a self-serve interactive location finder on their website, so customers can find their nearest refilling station: www.trewithendairy.co.uk/self-serve/  

If you are a retailer and interested to find out more, please get in touch at happyhealthycows@trewithendairy.co.uk.

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Notes to Editors

For further information, high resolution images or additional expert comment, please contact RAW Food & Drink PR: Harry Wild - Harry@rawfoodanddrinkpr.co.uk Tel: 07540399025 @RawSW

About Trewithen Dairy:

Trewithen Dairy is owned and run by the Clarke family, who have owned Greymare Farm in the Glynn Valley since 1976 and started crafting dairy products there in March 1994. As the business has grown, so has their family. It's not just the Clarke family that do all they can to make our delicious Cornish dairy products what they are, it's their colleagues, farmers and of course, customers too.

In the early days, the Clarkes had their own herd. Bill and Rachel would bottle the milk once the children were in bed and deliver it early the next morning. They cooked the clotted cream themselves, in open trays and potted it by hand. Their customers loved all of this Cornish dairy goodness and soon the Clarkes were supplying more and more happy customers. By 2001, the milk bottling and cream making side of the business had become so successful that the family made the brave decision to sell their herd and moved full time into producing milk, cream, butter and, more recently, yoghurt. Bill and Rachel's sons Francis and George now run the dairy day to day with key roles as Managing Director and Production Director respectively, with more than 200 highly valued employees and plenty of continued input from Bill and Rachel.