Schulz Organic is a family business that spans five decades and three generations. Their dairy is set on about 1000 acres of land, a 20-minute drive inland from the Shipwreck Coast, near Port Campbell and the Twelve Apostles. Here, the family’s farm is surrounded by fertile grass-covered hills with some small creeks fed by springs.
The dairy produces about 3.2 million litres of milk a year, most of which is supplied as milk to businesses like us, with a small percentage also used to make products like butter, quark, cream, yoghurt, and cheese. The milk comes from three herds of cattle, totalling around 450 head, each with their own mix of cattle breeds with a make-up of 70% Friesian, 15% Jersey, and 15% cross-mix of the two. The cows are fed a multi-species mix of plants and grasses that changes slightly seasonally based on what’s growing on the farm.
Simon and his team are committed to regenerative organic practices, which include taking steps to increase pasture diversity and to rest farmland for longer rotations between periods of use. Over time, regenerative farming practices will increase carbon sequestration, create greater self-sufficiency in feed production, and lead to increased milk production per cow.
This focus on sustainability is not isolated to the production side of Schulz’s business. Over the last decade, the team have been working to grow the production and sale of milk in reusable (and ultimately recyclable) glass bottles. They now also offer supply partners like us the waste-free option of milk in refillable kegs.
