Local Dairy Attracts Customers with Raw Unpasteurized Milk

RIGBY — Most commercial dairy farms have three to four thousand cows. Deloris Dairy operates with only 60 but the small, individualized approach is one reason the family-owned company has been able to stay in business 30 years.

Deloris has seen an uptick in business recently after the dairy began offering raw, unpasteurized bottled milk.

The company prides itself on having some of the finest cows in east Idaho.

“Six dairy breeds, and the Jersey’s are the smallest," said owner Dale Mortimer. “They give the richest milk and I really like their dispositions.”

Mortimer said the cows are well taken care of; otherwise, they wouldn’t produce milk.

“They’re pretty pampered. We keep them comfortable, we feed them great mix. We have a nutritionist that comes out and formulates what we feed the cows,” Mortimer said.

After each cow is milked with electronic pumps, the liquid is transferred to the “milk house.”

It arrives in a metal container and is then filtered. A large tank collects the milk where it is automatically cooled to 40 degrees.

“Our milk also is not processed. Most the milk you buy in the store is homogenized and pasteurized,” Mortimer said.

Tyler Mortimer, Dale's son who works as a manager, said the dairy business can be tough.

“We do everything, and there’s some really long days,” Tyler Mortimer said. "It’s not uncommon to put in an 18-20 hour day, seven days a week."

Four years ago Deloris Dairy began providing milk for Manwaring Cheese.

“He came to us and asked us if we would provide the milk for him," Dale Mortimer said. "Of course we said yes and it’s been a great partnership."