The founding of Monroe Creamery is the culmination of many years of planning, dreaming and expanding our plans. In other words, just when we thought we figured out the direction we were going, stuff changed and we replanned. Monroe Creamery is part of our farm, Leaping Lapin Farm LLC (pronounced lEE-ping luh-pahn faHRM) From the very beginning, our family has worked and strived to have a balance and strong level of sustainability in our life. We've worked to utilize what God has given us to work as stewards of the land and resources. This journey led us to our property in Monroe, WA.

In 2017, we purchased 18 acres of neglected pasture and ranch land. We have always strived to live as sensibly as possible by utilizing our land and resources to provide for our family by growing a large percentage of our own food, alongside raising animals for joy and consumption and generating income. We always strive to not overwhelm the land and resources we have been charged with caring for. A sheep dairy was our logical choice that fit those needs.

But why call ourselves a Creamery?

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) classifies dairy operations as a Dairy Producer and a Dairy Processer.

A dairy producer produces fluid milk that is stored and sold raw to commercial facilities and can also be sold direct to the consumer as regulated by the WSDA.A dairy processor is a facility that takes the fluid milk, either from bulk purchasing from other farms or from their own animals, and processes it further. There may be homogenization, pasteurization, or the making of other dairy products like whipping cream, cheese, or yogurt to name a few. In other words, dairies are producers and creameries are processors. So, a dairy is the farm where you keep cows or other animals for milking purposes and raw milk sales. A creamery is where you would produce and or sell dairy products like milk, cheese, butter, sour cream, buttermilk, and other fluid milk products, but not necessarily off of a farm.

Taking it a step further, we are a Craft Dairy.

A Craft Dairy is a small-to-medium-sized farmstead operation that utilizes the property to pasture raise dairy animals and utilizes the fluid milk to direct market milk products or process further into butter, creams and cheeses. Most consumers are surprised to find out that a gallon of milk purchased is a mixture of milk from many different animals and many different dairies. A Craft Dairy is a single, farm-sourced product.