Big Business on the Family Farm

Lynden’s Edaleen Dairy Thrives
after Expanding Dairy Operation

by Dyas A. Lawson

Everyone loves cows. They’re big, quiet, calm, slow, serene, laid back, relaxed and epitomize a peacefully bucolic lifestyle — everything our own lives are not.

But Ed and Aileen Brandsma’s love for cows is a bit more intense than that of the rest of us — and they know them far more intimately than most of us do. Indeed, Ed avers, “I am a cow man. I love cows. I just love cows.”

That love has been the basis for Edaleen Dairy, the highly successful Lynden business the Brandsmas and their family have built.

Beginning in 1970, when Ed and Aileen purchased the family farm from her father, Maurice Honcoop Jr., the couple farmed and milked cows, selling the milk to a co-op. Not until 1975 did they make the leap to the producer-distributor status, which makes them unique in Whatcom County because they process and package milk and dairy products for sale to retail stores. Most of the county’s dairy farms ship their milk to the WestFarm Foods (formerly Darigold) powdered-milk plant in Lynden. To satisfy the brand-name requirements of the new classification, the couple came up with the Edaleen moniker for their dairy.

“In 1975, we were milking 100 cows,” Ed recalls. “By today’s standards, that was a miniature farm. Now, we’re milking 2,500.” That makes them a big dairy in the county and even statewide.

At the time, he says, milking 350 cows was “a big deal,” taking seven hours or more; now Edaleen milks 350 cows in an hour. Yes, an hour.

“We started with basic equipment and upgraded as we could,” adds Aileen. “Now, it’s all computerized.”

And “computerized,” in the dairy business, sounds mighty impressive. It means they milk 36 cows on either side of a milking parlor, for 72 cows at a time; the equipment senses the end of the milking cycle and releases the cow and sterilizes itself for the next cow. All a human has to do is hook up the next cow in line.

“That’s the start of our quality,” Ed adds, beginning a theme that runs throughout the conversation. “You have to have quality milk coming in or you won’t have quality milk going out.”

“One thing about being a producer-distributor is that you have control over the whole process. I wouldn’t have it otherwise,” adds son Duane, who serves as plant manager.

Duane, his wife Susan, daughter Cheryl and husband Rob Heerspink, daughter Karen and husband Mitch Moorlag and even youngest daughter Lori have all grown up in the dairy business, and all but high school freshman Lori, who works in the store, are actively involved in operational administration. Susan takes care of human resources, Cheryl and Rob are milking managers, Mitch manages the store and Karen is the computer technician.

“We’ve been blessed,” Ed says with a smile as he watches his wife and children chat and laugh around the kitchen table.

Well-known customers

The family company’s reputation for quality has led to some fairly tony customers: They were approached several years ago by Starbucks about providing milk for the espresso company. The two worked out an agreement and about 20 percent of the 90 percent of product that goes to fluid-milk production now is sent to Starbucks, so your morning latte contains Edaleen milk. Other milk goes to Holland America cruise lines out of Vancouver, B.C., as do about 35 of the 70 flavors of hard ice cream Edaleen produces from a small percentage of its milk. Edaleen also is certified to produce kosher milk.

“The rabbis have given the plant their blessing,” Ed says, smiling.

Duane explains that there are different levels of “kosher.” In the first, the rabbis inspect the facilities and certify the ingredients as kosher; in the more stringent one, the rabbi watches the production cycle from start to finish. That necessitates no change in production other than an increase in pasteurization temperature. A rabbi has watched proceedings only twice, and Ed expresses amusement at the rabbi’s excitement at seeing, for the first time, a calf born.

And one can’t forget a chief attraction at the farm’s small dairy store on the Guide Meridian — a rich, creamy soft ice cream in twist cones, vanilla, chocolate or a combination.

 

Emphasis on quality

Those big-time customers brought about a change in operations, Duane says. In addition to the official milk inspector, the plant is open to the various clients’ inspectors, who pop in to make their own quality-control checks. Duane adds that’s been helpful because they often provide a list of changes or improvements they’d like to see. Sometimes, that winds up offering the benefits of a consultant without the cost.

The quality of Edaleen’s milk begins with the feed. The Brandsma clan explains that it works to establish a consistent food supply throughout the year, taking advantage of bargains that come along as well as making sure the cows don’t get into the weed patches. Grain testing and a veterinarian on staff also make a difference. With some $250,000-$300,000 per month going for feed, it’s important to ensure it’s money well spent.

“We sell ourselves on the quality of our milk,” explains Cheryl Heerspink, listing products that include whole, 2-percent, 1-percent, chocolate and skim milk, half and half, buttermilk, whipping cream, seasonal eggnog and ice cream. “People can come in and see what we do from start to finish.”

Though Duane says the company doesn’t have a salesperson, his dad disagrees.

“I’m a cow man,” Ed Brandsma says. “I love cows. Duane is not a cow man. But he is a people man and he runs the plant. We’re perfect together. He does more marketing than what he gives himself credit for. We’re blessed to have this variety of skills and abilities that all work together so well.”

When the Brandsmas started, a 10,000-pound daily production of milk “was a dandy day,” Ed recalls. So far this year, Duane puts in, top production has reached 210,000 pounds.

“When you put that kind of volume through, the quality has to be there,” Ed reiterates. “You can’t make a mistake. If we have a sick cow, she goes to the hospital so she doesn’t mingle with the healthy ones and her milk has no chance to affect the product.”

 

Growth includes challenges

Expansion has always been client-driven, the family says. Since 1975, the Brandsmas have erected nine barns, two of them last year. That allowed them to add 600 cows, Duane says, sneaking a mischievous glance at his folks and adding, to great hilarity around the table, that “that’s about it for expansion in the next six to 12 months.”

Growing serious, Duane adds, “Expansion things aren’t always the easiest on family ties, but we’re not putting a lot of thought into it right now; now we’re tackling the growth we’ve just taken on.” The family is finding that upping its employees to 60 or 70, with about 55 or 60 of them full time, is more difficult than anticipated.

“The growth in cows has caused a growth in employees and that’s the problem that’s caught us most off guard,” Duane says. His wife Susan is taking over human-resources tasks, but the family doesn’t want to lose the sense of “family” it has with its workers. “Some of our employees have been here since we were milking those 100 cows,” Duane declares. Some are even grandsons of those first workers, whose fathers worked for Edaleen, too.

That employee loyalty comes, no doubt, partly thanks to Edaleen’s sense of responsibility toward its workers. The dairy provides full medical benefits, a 401(k) plan, free milk and other, sometimes less tangible, benefits. “We try to make the employees a part of the family,” says Ed. “That’s the hardest part. You really don’t want that to change, and they don’t either.

“In the long spectrum, we’ve never had to babysit an employee. Every little benefit we’ve provided has been well worth it.”

Duane agrees, adding, “We have so many employees who care as much as we do and do the same kinds of things Dad does — like checking the cows every night before he goes to bed.”

The family owns seven delivery trucks and distributes milk all around the area, with its farthest delivery point in Kent — to a guy who’s Ed’s age and with whom they’ve worked since Ed started, and whose son now works with Duane. Family members cite this kind of parallelism repeatedly when talking about their customers.

The Brandsmas run their operation on about 920 acres several miles north of Lynden — they own 600 acres and rent 320 acres. Another 500 or 600 acres hold corn grown for them. The extra acreage comes in handy when dealing with environmental issues such as manure spreading, which causes several pairs of eyes to roll as they discuss changes in those regulations.

“It’s become time consuming just to understand the regulations,” says Cheryl. “Now, by 2002, we have to have a farm plan approved — we were one of the first in the county to have our farm plan approved. We have flow meters on the manure injectors so we know the number of gallons that go on the land. And we can spread manure on the neighbors’ land for a bigger base.”

 

Ready for a transition

What’s coming up for Edaleen in five or 10 years? Ed laughs, turns around in his chair, points with a finger out the window and says, “Aileen and I have got a house over on that hill. Ask these kids.”

The kids sound well prepared, but not overly anxious, to take the reins. Cheryl points out that her husband and brother are the same age as Ed when he started Edaleen. “He went from 100 to 2,500 cows,” she jokes, “so we’ve got lots of room to grow!”

Ed says he’s confident of the kids’ abilities. He’s trained them well and trusts them to make good decisions; but he also knows they’ll make — and learn from — mistakes, as he has. Cheryl adds that Mom and Dad have never stopped them from trying new things and learning from the results.

But neither Ed nor Aileen thinks the founding couple will drop completely out of sight. “You can’t just walk away emotionally,” Ed explains. “The passion is still there.”

“When it comes down to the nuts and bolts, your heart is completely in it,” Aileen adds. “I think once you’ve started something from scratch, you never lose that interest. It’s a part of your being.”

Ed, looking proudly at his children, who so obviously enjoy one another’s company, gathered around the table, concludes: “The thing I’m most thankful for is to God, for what we’ve done here and for the kids. What are you but the steward of your land? You do the best you can with what you get. I’m thankful to have these kids to carry on.”