FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who is CCC?

Columbia Community Creamery is a Doing Business As (DBA) organized by Eastern Washington Community Dairy, a nonprofit corporation in Washington State formed in February 2022. We are a 501(c)(3) with the IRS.

Where are you located?

519 North Park Street, Chewelah in Northeast Washington State about an hour north of Spokane and an hour south of Canada. Our mailing address is PO Box 1114, Chewelah, WA 99109. We opened in June 2023.

What exactly do you do?

Our creamery processes, bottles, markets, and distributes fresh local milk from small dairy farms. To do this we provide farmers a fair price and free technical assistance to improve their farms. We also give our community food security, nutrition, and education. All profits will be reinvested in our community.

What products will you offer?

Our milk will be in classic glass bottles that are returnable and reusable. Products include cream top whole milk, chocolate milk, cream, eggnog, and ice cream. We will also resell local cheese, and yogurt.

What do the labels mean?

A2A2: Milk with this protein variant is easier to digest as it is the same protein as in human milk. A genetic mutation in A1 milk causes part of the protein to break off and this can produce GI discomfort in some people.

Cream Top: milk is non-homogenized and the cream will rise to the top. Gently shake to reincorporate.

Vat Pasteurized: milk is gently heated to 145°F and held for 30 mins to preserve milk quality and prevent possible pathogens. This low level heating is very different from ultra pasteurization that sterilizes milk and reduces quality. Our milk can still be used to make cheese, yogurt, kefir and other dairy products!

Local: We are in a historic dairy area in Northeast Washington State and will distribute within 100 miles of our creamery. Most grocery store milk comes from very far away. You can find out by checking the milk plant number on the milk container here: https://whereismymilkfrom.com/finding-my-code

What does animal husbandry mean to CCC?

We believe everything begins with healthy, happy cows. Beyond basics such as high quality bedding, water, ventilation, and nutrition, cows should exhibit natural behaviors, enjoy the outdoors, and have long lives. Dairy farming is a long term partnership between the farmer and the cow.

Why hasn’t this been done before?

There are many examples of successful nonprofit community food processors, but none that focus on milk. Dairy processing has more regulations and requires more equipment and expertise. These barriers have prevented the return of local dairy processing.

Why are you a nonprofit, don’t you need to make money?

Nonprofit is a tax status, we are a for purpose organization that must make money to pay farmers, staff, and overhead. Income beyond those expenses is invested back into the community. This way no shareholder or person can personally benefit or decide to put their needs above the needs of our farmers or community. This is also why we are not a cooperative (co-op).