Stephensons – Delivering for British Dairy
Set up in 2011 as a Morecambe Bay milk round, Stephensons now deliver a broad range of chilled dairy products to restaurants and food companies across the North West as well as to families in their home town. Chris, Steph and the team pride themselves on working closely with customers to understand exactly what each needs – being able to deliver daily is a big part of this. Working side by side with local partners and suppliers means that Stephensons have full knowledge of where their milk comes from and what happens to it from field to fridge. In regular contact with individual farms, they even know which fields the cows have grazed in.
“Our customers know the value of good food and are keen to support local suppliers who make fantastic products on a small scale. We’ve spent a great deal of time and energy building up a strong network of people to work with who share the same ideas about food and farming as we do. We want to leave the industry better than we found it, to make sure we play our part as custodians for future generations. What makes that easier is being part of a really vibrant food culture here in the North West. Being one among many is much more fun.”
As an active member of the dairy industry with a lifelong history in the business, Chris is committed to helping turn British dairy farming back into profit for farmers. That is why in Spring this year, Stephensons become the first people in the UK to launch Free Range milk. This new national initiative championed by Countryfile’s Farmer of the Year Neil Darwent, guarantees 5p per litre more for farmers and keeps cows grazing on pasture for at least half of the year. Stephensons have collaborated with Dales Dairy to develop a clearly segregated production process for Free Range milk. What they can now offer is fully traceable milk of consistently high quality, that puts money directly back in to the local economy.
“Buying our Free Range milk puts more money back into farmers’ hands and keeps cows grazing out in the fields from the first sign of Spring. Free Range Milk is good for dairy farmers and good for cows. We’re backing this, because we believe that fair trade should begin at home.”
You can find more information about Stephensons Food & Dairy on their website.