For those driving along Farm Road 1090 in Purdy, Mo., chances are that a red building with a large sign that reads “Edgewood Creamery” will catch their eye.
Pulling into the parking, visitors see a dairy farm with acres of forage, dotted with happy, grazing cows. This is the home and business of the Fletcher family, where their dairy cattle are naturally grass fed and where they lovingly handcraft cheeses and other dairy products to share with their local community.
Dairy farming runs deep in the Fletcher family’s roots. Charles and Melissa Fletcher have been running a dairy farm since they were first married, and in 1997 they made the decision to go to pasture-based dairying. In 2015, Edgewood Creamery opened its doors to offer cream-line milk and artisan cheeses. Today, the entire operation is run by Charles and Melissa, their daughter Mikala, their son Tyler and his wife, Aubrey, and granddaughter Marley.
The Edgewood Creamery facilities feature a Grade A bottling room, a cheese making area, an aging room (for certain types of cheese) and an on-farm store where customers can purchase the Fletcher’s dairy products, as well as other local goods such as meats, soaps, jams and dry goods. The creamery has three full time and 2 part time employees.
“We are a fully operational creamery and retail store,” said Aubrey, who is the marketing director of the creamery.
Edgewood’s product line includes fresh cream-line milk in both regular and chocolate (sold in gallons, half gallons and pints), fresh cheeses (Farmhouse original, plain and jalapeno cheese curds, and Vermage Blanc in plain, milk and honey, and seasonal flavors), and aged cheeses (Edgewood Cheddar and Ozark Mountain Blue). Edgewood Creamery products can be found at the farm’s booth at Farmers Market of the Ozarks, at 12 retail locations, on the menus of 15 different local restaurants and, of course, at the farm store.
The Fletcher’s milk a herd of 310 crossbred dairy cows, which they are predominately Holstein with an influence of Jersey and Swedish Red, said Melissa, who is the head cheesemaker at the creamery.
The farm implements a rotational grazing program, where the cows are moved every 12 hours after milking. Each pasture on the farm is broken into 5 acre pastures, using single strand electric fence. The cows graze on a variety of forages, including clover, corn, summer and winter annuals and alfalfa.
“Having the grass-fed cows brings on better tasting milk, and it transitions into the cheese as well,” Aubrey said. She noted that it’s important to her family that the cows “get to be cows.” Grazing the herd naturally allows the cows the best life possible.
The Fletchers’ plan to continue expanding the creamery business.
“We want to broaden our reach as far as our wholesale,” said Melissa.
Aubrey also noted that she and Melissa would like to see their online sales increase from their website. Expanding the holding pen area at the milking barn is also in the works.
Edgewood Creamery loves to connect with their customers. They offer farm tours by appointment, and can also be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, sharing their passion for content, grass-fed cows and quality dairy products.
