A former Calrossy Anglican School boarding student and her family dairy have been judged to have the best milk in Australia in the specialty white dairy drink category of the 2017 Australian Grand Dairy Awards.
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Emma Elliott (nee Chesworth) is the director of Little Big Dairy Company (LBDC), based near Dubbo, which has claimed the title with its Less Cream Milk.
The national awards are considered to be the pinnacle of dairy contests in Australia, with expert judges selecting the winning products from hundreds of entries.
LBDC is a single-source dairy, meaning it packages its own products and sells directly to consumers rather than to a co-operative.
Mrs Elliott said the recognition was “so special for us”.
“We have worked extremely hard in the last few years to create a trusted, quality brand and to produce the best,” she said.
“We go the extra mile day after day, with a strong focus on the nutrition, health and comfort of ‘our girls’, with world-class production facilities and having that overall control of seeing our products from our farm to the shelf.”
Awards chief judge Russell Smith said Little Big Dairy Co had won against “a very, very strong class” of 30 entries.
“This was exactly how milk should be – carefully treated and handled, fresh as it gets and sweet,” he said.
The Chesworth family transitioned to the single-source model in 2013, in order to attain a fairer price for their milk and ensure the continued creation of a high-quality product.
The family of eighth-generation farmers milk 800 cows three times a day, bottle their own milk and distribute it to surrounding areas.
The dairy also packages cream products, and its double cream was one of three nominees in the cream category at ADGA 2017.
Mrs Elliott said Little Big Dairy Co hoped to bring its message of fair milk pricing to urban areas and was currently looking for support from stockists in the Sydney area.
“We would love to see more urban cafes and supermarkets supporting brands that pay a fair price for milk,” she said.
“Because a fair price is paid to Little Big Dairy Co, the animal welfare, environmental standards and overall product quality are continually improved on our farm.”
