Albert Straus, Straus Family Creamery
Many people are familiar with the Straus Family Creamery brand as a nationally renowned leader in organic dairy practices, climate-neutral farming, and sustainable manufacturing, not to mention producers of delicious, high-quality milk, yogurt, ice cream, and more. But at its core, the creamery, founded in 1994, is rooted in a family legacy of conservation and community, dating back to the early 1940s. In this Member Spotlight, we chat with Founder and Executive Chair Albert Straus as he reflects on the past 30 years of agriculture and innovation, as well as the future of not only of Straus Family Creamery but also of agricultural diversity in the North Bay.
Straus Family Creamery | Headquarters in Petaluma | strausfamilycreamery.com
Farm Trails member since 2018
How did you get interested in farming?
My father started dairy farming in 1941 on the shores of Tomales Bay. My parents worked most of their adult lives to create a common vision of our farming communities and started several organizations to facilitate collaboration between environmentalists, farmers, government officials, and other community members.
Their objective was to help sustain family farms, protect the environment, and save rural communities. My mother co-founded Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) in Marin County, California – the first land trust in the United States. MALT’s mission is to permanently protect Marin’s agricultural land for agricultural use by acquiring ag conservation easements.
I grew up on my family’s dairy farm in Marshall. After graduating in Dairy Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, I returned to the farm and became partners with my father. We tried to create a profitable dairy farm and, at the same time, protect the land and environment during a period when most of our neighbors were going out of business.
When my father started farming in Marin County, there were approximately 200 dairy farms. When I became partners with my father in 1977, there were 64 dairy farms, and today, there are 17 dairy farms, of which almost 90 percent are certified organic.
I grew up with the same respect for the environment as my parents, and we applied many progressive farming practices starting in the 70s. Long before our dairy farm was the first certified organic dairy west of the Mississippi River in 1994, we had already stopped using herbicides and chemical fertilizers and implemented no-till planting of silage crops and pastures to minimize soil erosion and reduce diesel fuel consumption.
Converting to organic farming was an opportunity to build a profitable company that supported my mission, which was the basis for our company’s mission. The mission is to help sustain family farms in Marin and Sonoma Counties by providing high quality, minimally processed organic dairy products. To support family farming and revitalize rural communities everywhere through advocacy and education.
We’re implementing the carbon-neutral farming model where the Straus Dairy Farm will hopefully be carbon-neutral in the next year while Straus Family Creamery’s network of organic dairy farms is on the path to carbon neutrality by 2030.
What do you do?
I’m the founder and executive chair of Straus Family Creamery. Located in Sonoma County in Northern California, Straus Family Creamery is a certified organic creamery that crafts premium products with high-quality organic milk from family farms in Marin and Sonoma Counties. Focusing on minimal processing for superior taste and nutritional integrity, Straus Family Creamery offers milk, cream, kefir, yogurt, ice cream, butter, sour cream, and a variety of wholesale and specialty dairy products, sold in the Western United States. Our organic yogurt, butter, and ice cream are available across expanded regions of the country.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
I like problem-solving and finding solutions to many issues in farming and our community that help us build our farming and food systems for the future. I’m excited about building a sustainable organic carbon-neutral farming model that is an example and is highlighted internationally.
What do you value about being a member of Farm Trails?
I personally, and Straus Family Creamery, like supporting local organizations whose goal is to educate and to help preserve our rich and diverse farming community. This ties directly back to our mission, which is focused on sustaining family farms in Marin and Sonoma Counties and revitalizing rural communities.
What are your hopes for the future of your business and/or Sonoma County ag?
To build a vibrant and healthy farming and food system. My hope is that people support local agriculture, the communities that depend on them, and organic dairy farms. We need to reverse the trend of losing farms, businesses, and schools in the North Bay.
What advice would you share with someone starting out in your line of business?
Understanding that farming is a business that needs to be profitable and be able to pay yourself as a manager of the business, improve your infrastructure, and look toward the future. Building relationships around farming is crucial and educating yourself about organic farming, building soil, animal welfare, protecting the environment, while producing high quality organic milk.
