There’s a young farm family in Rome that is not afraid to shake things up. Sammi and John Collins of Collins Farm and Creamery on Thomas Road offer bottled milk, fresh cheese curds, and beef from their own farm along with a wide variety of locally produced products in their on-farm store. They also serve mom-and-pop shops and restaurants throughout Madison and Oneida counties.
Their story is an interesting one, particularly catching my eye because these established dairy farmers seemed to hit the ground running with sharp packaging and eye-catching labels. Their online presence, too, does a great job telling their personal story, helping them connect with existing and potential customers. As I’ve learned (and still struggle to get right), selling farm products directly to the public is not as simple as putting up a sign and waiting for the sales to roll in. Farmers in this line of work have to wear a somewhat unfamiliar hat—that of a marketer.
But Sammi and John seem to wear that hat well, building strong connections with their local community and reaping the benefits.
I had the opportunity to chat with Sammi and John about their operation and the many things they’ve learned along the way:
“John grew up on a dairy farm in Lewis County, one of nine kids. He was in a very serious farm accident his senior year in high school, slipping one January day when his leg was sucked into a manure auger. He was mercy flighted to Watertown, where all the doctors wanted to amputate except for one. That one doctor saved his leg! John spent six weeks in the hospital where he had nine surgeries. When he got out, John was right back in the barn (on crutches).
“We purchased our farm in Rome in 2010. The barn had been empty for years so we had a lot of work to do before we could move cows in. We now milk 175 and ship the bulk of our fluid milk to a cooperative.
“We first got the idea to process a portion of our milk in 2020, when the pandemic caused a serious disruption in the milk market. We started with a co-packer, eventually building our own processing plant on the farm in 2022.
“Starting with a co-packer had a a lot of benefits. It allowed us to figure out if we had a viable business model with minimal investment. We could focus on building a market without the workload of bottling/making cheese ourselves. But we realized fairly quickly that there also was a downside in working with a co-packer, and that being at the mercy of someone else’s schedule would limit our opportunities.
“It took us over a year from the time we started construction on our creamery to our final Ag & Markets inspection. Processing ourselves has been a huge step forward. We have seen significant growth, and having control over processing has allowed us to slowly expand our offerings. It hasn’t been without its frustrations—dairy processing is intensive and the regulations are strict. We have learned so much!
“Selling directly to consumers has been an eye-opener. As farmers you don’t realize how much milk you produce or how many people you feed until you start processing and selling it yourself. It can be difficult in commercial dairy to stay positive as uncertainty in the milk market is never-ending. Selling direct to consumers has given us control over pricing and has made us realize that consumers want dairy products and local foods. They want to know their farmers and their stories and value connection to those growing their food. It is very rewarding.
“I (Sammi) worked for Nelson Farms Processing Facility in Cazenovia for years, and saw many small businesses work through brand development for their value-added products. A huge takeaway for me was a product had to be able to sell itself from a shelf. A professional, clean label went a long way. So when we were planning our launch, my non-negotiable was a professional logo and labels. John definitely had his reservations, but looking back he’s so glad we did. Ryan McGrogan of McGrogan Design helped us get the look we wanted and we couldn’t be happier with the results.”
Work in the creamery is a family affair: Sammi helps with bottling, is the resident cheese curd maker, and does all product development, marketing, sales, and social media for the farm. John helps with bottling, and is the resident fixer-of-whatever-breaks. Their sons Cody (7) is Quality Control for Chocolate Milk and Charlie (4) is the resident Cheese Curd Tester.
What do the Collins’s have to say about their new venture? “We love that we are in charge of making a good product, and it’s a good feeling to be able to provide an essential food to our communities. We love the people that we have gotten to meet over the past three years. We have had customers thank us for what we do… and that can fix any bad day. Our customers are the best people. They drive everything we do. Without them, we wouldn’t be here!”For more info: www.collinsfarmandcreamery.comVisit their farm store: 8744 Thomas Road, Rome NY