As you can see from the photo, Del Marie (aka Daphne and Annemarie) is in the middle of a strategy session and we know we have some explaining to do.
Right now we are working on getting Del Marie yogurt to local Omaha outlets soon but let us catch you up on what’s been happening over the past few months.
Step back in time to March 7. Daphne and I were meeting with a commercial real estate agent and thought we had found the most ideal place to house our Grade A dairy manufacturing facility. We were just days away from signing a lease and making some major equipment purchases. Then, just after 6:00 p.m. on Sunday evening my husband (an Air Force pilot) got a call from his commander letting us know that he had received a new assignment and we would be moving to Monterey, CA.
Gulp. Silence.
The news was an absolute shock. We had previously been told that we could expect to be in Omaha for at least another 2-3 years.
There have been tears, questions and uncertainty among us all.
But seriously, this is Daphne and I … we can readjust, re-plan, reorganize, re-envision and rebirth. And we have.
As Del Marie becomes a reality, it does not always do what I think it should or would, how and when I think it could. In such moments, these words give me peace and anticipation for good, creative things to come.
First, from Rainer Maria Rilke:
You must give birth to your images.
They are the future waiting to be born.
Fear not the strangeness you feel.
The future must enter you
long before it happens.
Just wait for the birth,
for the hour of new clarity.
And then, from Trust the Process by Shaun McNiff:
The creative spirit has a strong feminine aspect, a birthing quality. Things made without this gestation and cooking don’t carry the spirits of wondrous individuation and surprise. They look like ready-mades as contrasted to expressions that go full-term through a person’s psychic apparatus. As with birthing, the practice of creation requires a continuous respect for that which takes place autonomously and in its own time. The creator is a necessary participant, but like childbirth the process is not controlled by the person who serves as the agent of delivery.
… the results of artistic expression may bring relief, joy, and harmony, but the process thrives on tension. Conflict and uncertainty are the forces that carry the artist to new and unfamiliar places (pp. 34-35).
Last night we handed out yogurt samples at Jane’s Health Market in Benson (Omaha) during the Nebraska Food Cooperative pick-up time. This was our first opportunity to introduce Del Marie yogurt to people who don’t already love and support us. Special thanks to Libby Broekemeier from the co-op who made it possible — we really appreciated the opportunity.
Highlights included:
Our first samplers, two kids, coming back for refills three times. “It’s DELICIOUS,” they said.
One man being strongly urged — or forced? — by his wife to try it and then actually liking the yogurt a lot. This gives us hope that Stephen Pedersen will someday learn to love yogurt. We’ll get you yet, Steve!
A little girl finger-scooping then licking out the dregs from her sample cup, oblivious to all else.
Ali, Brooke and Janna showing up to support us.
Meeting a new crew of really amazing people who are committed to buying local food. They were willing, even happy, to listen to us go on (and on and on) about yogurt.
Someone recently said that there is no better feeling than letting someone taste your product and having them absolutely love it. We got to experience that last night and it’s so true! We’re definitely hooked on feeding people good food.
In a rush to get the food on the table for our hungry friends, we forgot to take food photos. So these name cards are the only thing left of the now polished-off Indian dinner we served on Tuesday.
The evening was just a time to hang out, eat some good food and also to introduce folks to Del Marie yogurt within the context of dinner. You know that yogurt isn’t just for breakfast, right?
Who knows when we’ll have the next dinner event … you might be randomly invited! In the meantime, we wanted to share some of the recipes of the dishes that we served – all of which incorporated our yogurt – so that you can recreate a great dinner yourself. Don’t forget to add the love!
Annemarie and I just returned from a road trip to Pennsylvania. What took us there, you ask? A short course offered by Penn State University on the basics of artisan dairy processing.
Before the conference began, we stopped at Seven Stars Farm in Phoenixville, PA. We had an appointment there with Cindy, who runs the Seven Stars yogurt production facility. She met us with a huge smile and exuded all kinds of encouragement and enthusiasm for our upstart business. Cindy might just be Del Marie’s very own fairy godmother. She showed us around their plant then sat down with us for 2 hours to discuss the ins and outs of yogurt production. Annemarie and I drove away emboldened to start our creamery and committed to pay it forward with kindness to those who come into the industry behind us. Thank you Cindy.
After our stop at Seven Stars, we continued on to Myerstown, PA, for the conference. It was well worth the 18 hour drive. The first day was all about milk composition and microbiology, good manufacturing practices (brain strain!). The second day was sales, marketing, business management (got it!). We learned so much!
The afternoon of the second day we finally got what we’d been waiting for: a lecture on yogurt production by the yogurt guy, Dr. Bob Roberts. We felt like groupies, sitting in the front row of class, hanging on every word he said, raising our hands with too many questions. I may have actually heard an audible sigh come from our row as he said the words lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus as if the language of yogurt cultures were his mother tongue.
On our way home, Annemarie commented that she felt like we’d received a milk baptism. Yes, we have been born into dairy.
My middle name is “Del” in honor of my maternal grandmother, Delcie. And Annemarie’s middle name…well, that’s kind of obvious.
While dreaming up our plan to start a creamery, we started calling this not-yet-business “Del Marie.” After a while, we realized it just couldn’t be called anything else.
We think the name Del Marie is anonymous, yet personal. It’s inclusive to other cultures, but local. It’s quirky, yet grounded. It’s made with love, from our kitchen to yours.
For those of you who purchase organic milk at the grocery store, I have a question: Why do you do it? And what expectations do you have for the farming practices where the cows are raised, bred, and milked? I don’t know about you, but I’ve always assumed that organic dairy = the humane treatment of dairy cows and the ability to have pasture land on which to move about and graze.
Well, if that is your vision then you’ll be happy to hear that last week the USDA passed some new regulations that will help maintain the integrity of organic dairy family farms. After years of abusing the term “organic,” larger factory farms will have to comply with new rules that are being cheered on by family farmers who have long believed in and practiced allowing their cows to roam and consume a significant portion of their food from pasture.
Why is Del Marie Creamery happy about this? Most importantly, because we believe that happy cows provide the best milk, as Laura Chisholm says. And secondly, because the milk for all of our dairy products is produced from cows at Chisholm Family Farm – a farm on which the cows are allowed to roam and are on a rotational grazing system. The cows are 100% grass-fed. No grain, soy or corn. Ever.
If you love Indian food but are wary to cook it yourself, Gobhi Rasedar is the dish for you. It a great beginner recipe and absolutely, one hundred percent delicious. Eat it with yogurt, chutney and nan.
Click the links for the recipes and more information:
Gobhi Rasedar (Cauliflower & Potatoes in a Spicy Herb Sauce)
If you did a little overlapping time line of Annemarie’s and my life, you’d see that we didn’t meet until 2004. But you’d also see many unknown-to-us intersections way before that.
Both of us have had the opportunity to travel and live around the world
We have both dated my husband (Annemarie and Caleb “went steady” for a couple weeks in sixth grade)
We both come from a non-profit background
We love food!
Cooking, talking about and sharing good food was the backdrop to our growing friendship. Through our separate but extensive travels around the world we have both been captivated by the foods of the countries we visited. We somehow always make our way into the women’s kitchens and try to figure out how we can re-create the meals back home.
The people we’ve met around the world take very simple ingredients and turn them into deliciousness. They are experts! Their knives peel Romanian potatoes with lightning speed, cut Afghan eggplants into perfect slices, twist and pinch Nepali momos into perfect shapes, layer the spices into Indian curries just right.
We have especially been moved by the common threads of humanity that emerge from the life stories we hear in kitchens both home and abroad. People all around the world love their families, and providing good food for them is a huge expression of that love.
Many of the people we’ve visited are very poor. They consume very little meat, receiving protein from eggs and dairy products. They rarely have access to refrigeration so they eat it fresh or find a way to make it last. Nearly every country we’ve visited has some form of fermented milk as a main staple of their diet. The foods they make aren’t overly-sweet. Artificial colors and unpronounceable chemicals never show up at their tables. Their meals are simple. They are pure. They are full of care.
Our travels have shown us what many of us here in the U.S. are missing. Real food brings a slowness, simplicity and a richness to life that goes way beyond the bank account. These people’s lives have inspired us to provide pure, simple, personal dairy products for families here in Nebraska. We are excited to bring home the care — to you.
These days I’ve been making pot after pot of soup to help keep us warm. We eat it for either dinner or lunch every day until it’s gone, then immediately make another pot of something new. One of my favorite soups this crazy winter is borscht — I am addicted to its combination of beets and fresh dill. Of course we eat it with lots of yogurt on top.
Actually, I love the tangy flavor of yogurt on top of almost any savory soup. The yogurt contributes to a beautiful presentation when serving. Scoop a little dollop on top of the soup, then a sprinkle of herbs — so pretty! When you’re ready to dig in, stir in the yogurt for a gentle, creamy texture and flavor. Or, if you’re a purist, scoop a bit of yogurt off the top with each spoonful of soup to keep the flavors separate but complimenting.
