Copyright Hartford Courant
Ellington’s Oakridge Dairy has vastly broadened the distribution of its milk and other fresh farm products under the leadership of current CEO and a fifth-generation farmer Seth Bahler since 2018, and that expansion is continuing with the farm’s first retail store. The Oakridge Farm Store, located at 80 Meadow Brook Road in Ellington, will officially open its doors on Saturday at 8 a.m. and will open 24 hours a day and seven days a week as a self-service honor system using credit cards only. The store will be stocked daily with all of Oakridge Dairy products as well as seasonal items. The store has been in the works for the last few months, but it has always been a goal of the company to have a retail space to sell its products along with the growing Modern Milkman service. According to Bahler, customers call or stop by the office daily asking if they have a store. “We thought there was an opportunity here to be a part of the community, but I think it could turn into something bigger,” Bahler said. “It’s just another way for customers to purchase our products. I see huge potential in the store where we can expand it or duplicate it. We never know what this will lead to. “Home delivery doesn’t work for every family. This gives them the ability to stop by the farm. It will be open 24/7 and we have security cameras there, but hopefully everyone is trustworthy. We have credit card only payment and people can stop in and get their milk or whatever else they need,” Bahler added. Last year, Oakridge Dairy opened Oakridge Creamery, a production facility where the farm bottles the milk. Prior to the creamery, the farm rented a production facility. Oakridge Dairy’s throwback Modern Milkman delivery service began in late 2018 delivering just in Ellington and then later the surrounding towns. The subscription-based service delivers fresh milk from Oakridge along with local farm fresh eggs, breads, butter, yogurt and cheese weekly to customers throughout the state and in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Earlier this year, Oakridge Dairy opened a distribution center in Danbury and will open another in North Attleboro, Massachusetts next year. Bahler said he’s seeing the biggest growth in southern Connecticut branching outside of Tolland and Hartford County into Fairfield County with the Modern Milkman distribution center in Danbury. Bahler said that Modern Milkman has well over 12,000 subscriptions and the number continues to grow each month. “Our goal is to build a brand, and we want people to trust our products,” Bahler said. “We want people to be able to enjoy them. We put a lot of hard work into getting that gallon of milk on their doorstep, on their table or in their hands. We want to be that trusted partner where people can be proud of where it comes from and be able to have that single source. They know that we grow the crops, we feed the cows, we milk the cows, we bottle the milk, and they can buy it right on the farm. We want to build our brand with that connection to the farm.” Bahler said the new store is another way for customers to find Oakridge Dairy products. “It’s a small footprint and with the honor system there’s plenty of security built in,” Bahler said. “We are making it very convenient for people to get really fresh products from the farm and being open 24 hours a day and seven days a week.”
