Correction: name of World Dairy Summit host

Straus Family Creamery is a high quality, organic dairy based in Petaluma. Praised for its revolutionary carbon neutral advancements and dedication to small dairy farmers, Straus serves as a leader for the dairy industry not just in Northern California but across the world. 

Chico State’s Dairy Science and Industry Club hosted two guest speakers from Straus Family Creamery on Tuesday, February 25, 2025. Founder Albert Straus and Vice President Joseph Button spoke about their company’s trailblazing efforts in producing high quality organic products, working toward a carbon neutral future and supporting local dairy farms. 

Attending club members and guests received a thorough presentation about the creamery’s history, achievements, goals and vision. I also had the opportunity to speak with Button in a follow up interview to dive deeper into what was presented. Here are some key takeaways from both the presentation, my interview with Button and my follow up research.

[“Straus Family Creamery” and “Straus Dairy Farm” are both referring to the same company as a whole. Following statistics and research arise from the slideshow accompanying Straus’ and Button’s presentation, along with my personal interview with Button.]

Straus Family Creamery is a trailblazer

According to the presentation, the concept of organic dairy farming and products is relatively new — organic certifications did not exist until 1991. Straus Dairy Farm became the first organic certified dairy west of the Mississippi River in 1994. 

Straus, the founder and main innovator, aims to scale down large management practices so the average small dairy farm can afford to utilize them as well. One of these practices includes using a methane digester, a machine that breaks down cattle manure and converts it into energy, typically costing $2 million each, according to their public presentation.

“We’re helping build anaerobic digesters at a certain scale, a smaller scale as has been the norm in the dairy industry. Usually digesters are very expensive and require a very large dairy farm with thousands of milking cows to be cost effective. We have a model [of a small scale digester] where you can install an anaerobic digester with only a few hundred milking cows and still have cost effectiveness.”Button said.

Straus Family Creamery has also been praised for its dedication to high quality, including positive reviews from The Daily Meal, KQED and especially viral attention from TikToker Peggy Xu. On an ABC7 News Bay Area report, last October Xu posted viral online videos of her reviewing Straus’ cream top milk, garnering millions of views and even starting a TikTok trend called “#milktok.”

Straus’ vision and dedication to producing premium products has even received international recognition. In October 2024 he was invited to the World Dairy Summit in Paris, hosted by the International Dairy Federation. 

Representatives signed an international declaration for more sustainable dairy. Straus’ carbon neutral framework “has been highlighted by the dairy summit as one of the best, most environmentally sound methods of dairy farming in the world that should be replicated.”

Carbon neutral creamery

According to the presentation, the company has reduced over 1,200 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year due to its conservative practices. Green Business Certification Inc. bestowed the Straus Family Creamery a Total Resource Use and Efficiency Zero Waste certification, making it the first dairy company to earn this. 

Yet, Straus was not satisfied. The creamery aims to become the first completely carbon neutral organic dairy farm by 2030. Its ambitious plans to achieve this goal include using methane digesters, but going even further to create as low of a carbon footprint as possible. 

The creamery packages its milk products in reusable glass bottles which according to their presentation are returned to the creamery to be used an average of five times per bottle, cutting down significantly on packaging waste. 

For products that cannot be stored in glass, such as yogurt and cottage cheese, the company aims to stop using petroleum-based plastic packaging and instead opt for biodegradable alternatives. Meanwhile, it is working on keeping those products refrigerated with regenerative energy generated by carbon dioxide-powered heat pumps.

The company continues to reduce its carbon footprint through organic ingredient sourcing, electric vehicles, packaging, rotational grazing, water conservation and notably … feeding dairy cattle red seaweed. The creamery, along with scientists in Australia and at University of California, Davis, have conducted experiments pointing to 90% reduced methane emissions from cows after being fed red seaweed. 

Straus Family Creamery is demonstrating to the dairy industry that this seemingly bizarre feed ingredient can be a game changer, already having tested it out on its own cattle and gleaning positive results. 

Straus and local dairy industry 

Straus Family Creamery has made quite the revolution in the environmental side of the dairy industry, yet its mission is far from complete. Its founder, Straus, is an experienced dairy farmer himself. His perspective allows better collaboration with other local dairy farmers regarding price, management and marketing that larger dairy brands and companies cannot provide.

“The first thing we do is we pay to conduct a cost of production survey four times a year so that we understand how much it costs the farmers that supply us with milk to produce milk. And that gives us a baseline benchmark for what we will price our milk at to ensure they are getting profit for all the work that they’re doing.” Button said.

The creamery partners with 13 other family farms in the Sonoma County area. Locally-sourced milk contributes to the creamery’s high product quality, freshness and adequate profits for farmers.

Small dairy farms are in trouble. Grocery stores sell milk for as low a price as possible. This is wonderful for consumers who want to snag a cheap gallon of milk at the store, which sells for an average of $4.025 according to US Inflation Calculator. However, small dairy farmers are at a great disadvantage because not enough cash flows back from the retailers to keep themselves afloat. But how can this be?

“There’s a constant pressure in the retail environment to sell milk as what they call a ‘lost litre,’ where they price their milk at the cost they purchase it or even below the cost to get consumers to come into their grocery store and then buy other products as well. Milk is something that will draw consumers into the store.” Button said.

The USDA helps oversee the pricing of milk through sales reports. The pricing system for milk has not been updated since 2000, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. From the 1940s until 2024, the United States has fallen from nearly five million dairy farms to less than 25,000. 

More than 3,000 dairy farms go out of business every year. Not only does the problem include grocery stores who are milking it for all its worth, but also an outdated system that harms independent dairy farmers.

Straus’ mission is to change this trend by giving farmers autonomy over their products and how they fare in the market. But how? The answer is to go organic and sustainable. 

When farmers produce a higher quality product, it satisfies consumer demand. When products are in demand, farmers can advocate for more fair pricing so they can make a better profit. 

But how can farmers have the money to go organic and sustainable when they barely have the time, energy or money already? Straus Family Creamery incentivizes the 13 partnering dairy farms it buys milk from by paying them additional money for taking on sustainable management methods. 

“Through our dairy sustainability program, we are offering up to a quarter million dollars of incentives each year for our dairy farms to implement climate smart practices on their farms,” Button said.

This supportive network creates an encouraging, competitive market for local dairy farmers. As the dairy industry struggles nationwide, small dairy farmers are resorting to relying on their fellow businesses for the support they need while working together to create a more sustainable and successful future for the industry.

Elena Mendonsa can be reached at [email protected]