Twin Brook Creamery is a local, family owned dairy out of Lynden, Washington. Larry Stap represents the fifth generation in his family to own and work the land. Stap took the farm from a small Darigold supplier to a unique and independent dairy which is in stores as far south as Portland.Half a mile south of the Canadian border lie the barns where Stap’s herd is bred, born, raised, and milked. The Twin Brook farms are tucked away on a small access road, surrounded by the many other commercial dairy farms of Whatcom County.Stap runs the farm himself with the help of six employees. About three hours out of his day are spent with the cows. During the rest of the time he is answering emails, placing orders for equipment and supplies, and giving tours to curious customers.The corner stone of Twin Brook Creamery’s business model is the iconic glass bottles which their milk is sold in. Stap says that he had the choice to make his dairy big or unique. He chose unique and he never looked back.“Take care of your girls and they’ll take care of you,” Stap says often. In August of 2015 he made a 1.75 million dollar investment to improve the lives of his cows by installing three robotic milkers, a back scratcher and the equivalent of a bovine Fitbit for every cow in his herd.Stap welcomes visitors from his front steps and brings them into the kitchen where he serves chocolate milk from his own fridge and homemade cookies. Baking, Stap says, is his favorite pastime and he loves to putter around the kitchen. He happily hands out the family recipe to anyone who asks.Stap’s cows, whom he affectionately calls his girls, spend their whole lives on the farm. Twin Brook raises only jersey cows, instead of the traditional black and white Holstein cows, because their milk has more solid content which increases the flavor and texture.The cows are artificially inseminated and give birth to young calves year-round. The calves live in individual cow igloos from the age of a few hours to a few months. At 2 years-old they become next generation of milk cows and continue to support Stap and his family’s business.
