Award-winning family dairy producers, Schulz Organic Dairy, has now sold one million bottles of their iconic Milk in Glass.
To date, the Schulz Milk in Glass initiative — and its returnable, refillable glass bottles — has saved more than 40 tonnes of plastic from entering landfill.
“We are humbled by reaching this massive milestone,” Schulz owner and third-generation dairy farmer Simon Schulz said.
“A major thank you to all the people who have invested in Schulz and in our Milk in Glass bottles and who have purchased over the last four years.
“Thank you to all the staff that have filled and washed every single one of our Milk in Glass bottles.
“And a big thank you to our girls [Schulz’s herd of cows] for producing the beautiful milk to fill these bottles.”
Organic farmers since 1972, the Schulz Organic Dairy herd of Friesian and Jersey cows is near Timboon in southern Victoria.
All products are certified organic, with the range including full cream milk, low-fat milk, Milk in Glass, cream, natural yoghurt, Greek yoghurt, feta in brine, quark and butter.
Schulz Organic Dairy’s work to eliminate single-use plastics in the dairy industry began in 2017, when Simon trialled glass-bottled milk at their stand at farmers’ markets.
“We accepted returns of these same glass bottles to clean, refill and resell them. In our first week, we sold out within 30 minutes, and the demand just kept growing.”
In August 2018, Schulz launched a successful crowdfunding campaign, raising more than $106,000 and allowing them to deliver 5000 glass bottles per week in the first year.
Now, Schulz Organic Dairy’s award-winning glass bottles are available in more than 80 sustainably-minded stockists across Victoria.
How does the Milk in Glass initiative work?
Drink, return, repeat — customers purchase their Milk in Glass, enjoy the milk, then wash and return the bottles to their local retailer or farmers’ market.
Customers are encouraged to return their bottles ‘naked’ — meaning without the cardboard sleeve, lid and tamper-evidence ring, which can all be recycled.
This allows Schulz the quickest cleaning and refilling time back at the factory — before the bottles are on their way again across Victoria.
And Schulz Organic Dairy isn’t planning on stopping at a million bottles.
Over the next year, they are undertaking significant upgrades to factory machinery and processes to ensure their next millionth milestone is achieved even faster.