How is your milk pasteurized?
We use the low temp or vat pasteurization method.
Why is there cream on the top?
We do not homogenize our milk, a process that alters the cream or butterfat portion of the milk so that it will not naturally float to the top of the milk. The cream will continue to thicken, but you can shake it up, lay the bottle on the side, turn it upside down, etc. and this causes the cream to always try to rise to the top!
Do you add any vitamins?
Yes, federal law mandates that we do. Vitamin A & D are added to our Fat-Free, 1% & 2%. Vitamin D is added to our whole milk. No vitamins are added to our chocolate, half & half, heavy whipping cream or our seasonal eggnog.
What do we do with the empty bottle?
Put them in your shopping cart on your next trip to the store and when you go through the checkout line hand them to the clerk and you will be refunded the deposit price on the bottle.
Why are there no nutrition labels?
FDA grants an exemption for special circumstances. Ours being refillable glass bottles with the info available at the store or on our website.
What do your cows eat, are they grass fed?
We pasture our cows for as long as the growing season allows and they are fed the grass that was harvested and stored during the summer for their winter feed.
Do you feed them grain?
Yes, we feed a small amount, only a few pounds a day. It consists mostly of vitamins and minerals to balance out their diet for their optimum health.
Do you grow any GMO feeds?
No, we do not grow any GMO feeds for our cows.
Do you use pesticides or herbicides?
We use none of these products on our pasture fields or the grass fields that we harvest for their feed.
Do you use hormones on your cows?
We do not use any synthetic hormones (such as rbst) that artificially stimulate production or growth. The reason we do not put "rbst free" on our bottles is that, if we did, then FDA mandates that we include the following statement: "The FDA found there is no significant difference between milk derived from rbst treated cows and non-rbst treated cows".
Are you certified organic?
No, we are not certified organic although we subscribe to most of what would be required of us. It is a very expensive process to go through. Secondly, if we have a sick calf and our veterinarian recommends using an antibiotic to help her recover we want that tool available. As a certified organic dairy, we would not be allowed to do that.
Is your milk A1 or A2?
Milk contains a protein that is either type A1 or A2. A1 protein is the type that is common to most all milk. A2 protein is in a very small percentage of milk consumed and is often found only in specialty market milk and often locally produced, The colored breeds of cows such as Gurnsey and Jersey produce A2 protein. What makes A2 protein special is it is very digestible compared to A1 and many individuals that have a sensitivity to conventional A1 milk can drink A2 milk without the negative side effects they experience. Our milk here at Twin Brook is about 80% A2 and given the large number of customers who contact us telling us that they can drink our milk and not conventional milk verifies this fact.
Are you kosher?
We are kosher under the Va'ad HaRabanim of Greater Seattle Kashrut Division.