One of the more delicious parts of the Epicurean Group / Morning Fresh Dairy relationship is how fast their fresh milk gets into your glass. “We have a saying around the farm,” says Sarah Marcikonis, Wholesale Account Manager and a little bit of everything else. “From udder to door in less than 24 (hours). We grow our own feed, breed, and milk the cows, bottle, plus make our own yogurt, all right here on the farm.”

A family operation since 1894, Morning Fresh Dairy of Bellevue, CO started selling milk when the great-great-grandfather of current owners Bob (and Shelly) Graves set up shop. By 1945, great-grandfather Graves herd had grown to 80 cows, a number that exceeds 1,400 today. All the cows live onsite, enjoying 10,000 acres of the dairy farm while feasting on 2,000 acres of salad-bar grasses for grazing. “Cows love the homegrown alfalfa,” shares Sarah. “It’s their favorite.”

Morning Fresh cows live in quite nice surroundings, referred to as the ultimate in cow comfort around the farm. Free-stall barns offer sand-bedding and plenty of room to move around, as well as a swamp cooler that regulates barn temperature for summer cool and winter warm, plus a rotary parlor milking machine so preferred, the ladies have been known to saunter back on for a second ride after they’ve been milked.

Phil Wright, VP of Culinary at Epicurean Group shares how he discovered Morning Fresh, and what he looks for in vendors. “We work all over the country sourcing product for accounts. When Epicurean Group arrived in the Boulder area, we did our due diligence. We reached out to local Chefs for ideas. We want the same high-quality food for our restaurants and producers whose values match well with Epicurean Group. As we build new relationships, we interview the vendors while they interview us! How committed is the supplier to the ideas of environmental sustainability food? A big part of sustainability is also the carbon footprint – how far the food needs to travel to get to our kitchens. Morning Fresh Dairy is right here – it’s local in Longmont County, near Boulder.”

Morning Fresh is enhanced by a fleet of clean diesel delivery trucks and recently introduced an electric vehicle into service. Not everything is new tech though – just like days of old, milk moo’ves around to customers in glass bottles; packaging that is recyclable, reusable and smart. “Glass helps the milk stay cooler, protecting it’s clean, crisp taste,” muses Sarah. “Food stored in glass always tastes better than food stored in plastic.”

Sarah invites you to come to see for yourself. “You must come by for a visit and see for yourself. Any farm that lets the public in – you know they run a quality business. From the observation deck at the farm, visitors can observe how calm and comfortable our cows are. Relaxed, happy cows produce better tasting milk.”

Morning Fresh Dairy is one of many high-standard, Epicurean Group vendors that supply our cafeterias with fresh, honest, and local food. We are passionate that the food of this character delivers incomparable dining experiences and are committed to helping our guests make smart food choices – good for themselves and for the planet.