After establishing Basics, a network of local markets, founder Chuck Eggert is expanding from grocery to food production with the launch of Wild Rose Foods. The company, which says it is focused on making products rooted in Oregon agriculture with care for how animals are treated and grown, has launched Lulubelle’s Creamery, a new dairy brand, featuring a product line of local, certified organic milk.
Lulubelle’s produces fresh milk products from its own Willamette Valley dairies, where cows graze on organic pastures and enjoy organic alfalfa grown at its own farm in Eastern Oregon. The milk is a blend from both Holstein and Jersey cows, which produce a higher fat, premium milk that contributes to a creamier texture.
“We think there’s room for a local dairy committed to organic practices with a focus on flavor and innovation,” said Eggert. “Our goal is to make products as accessible as possible using milk from our own cows bottled at our own creamery. We’re creating a new model for dairy to show what’s possible with the latest technology, a commitment to animal care and restorative practices.”
Lulubelle’s is available as “cream-on-top” Whole Milk sold in environmentally friendly half-gallon glass bottles in both plain and chocolate varieties. The brand also is available in one of the first local Ultra Filtered High Protein varieties. With 16-plus grams of protein per serving, Lulubelle’s Ultra Filtered milk comes in half gallon and 16-oz. sizes in Plain, Chocolate, Almond, Chocolate Almond and limited-edition Eggnog. Milk lovers can find Lulubelle’s at Basics, New Seasons, Market of Choice, and other select natural grocers throughout Oregon. The suggested retail price for a half gallon of organic whole milk is $4.99, but due to the direct to store model, it is available for $3.99 at Basics, and Ultra Filtered High Protein milk at $4.49.
In addition to its creamery and organic milk, Wild Rose Foods also raises egg-laying hens and poultry made available as fresh from the farm as Gwendolyn’s Organic Eggs and Aurora Valley Organic. Both are available in multiple varieties and cuts at Basics, New Seasons and Market of Choice stores. Aurora Valley Organic poultry offers the only local, certified organic, free-range, antibiotic-free poultry raised in the Willamette Valley, where they are fed a 100 percent vegetarian diet with plenty of access to pasture. Gwendolyn’s Organic Eggs are produced by chickens who eat an all-organic diet with vegetarian feed and plenty of access to pasture in the Willamette Valley.
