Anita and Pieter de Boer had always dreamed of having their own dairy.
The problem was, while Pieter had a background in work on dairies, in their home country of the Netherlands a business such as a dairy has to be inherited. Otherwise the costs are prohibitive.
“There are no opportunities in the Netherlands,” Anita said.
So when they were invited to a friend's wedding in America in 1996, the couple decided to turn their vacation into a fact-finding mission. And on that trip, they decided this was where they wanted to be.
“In America you see an opportunity and you have to take it and we took it,” Anita said.
When they first immigrated, the de Boers worked for 12 years for other local dairies. Pieter worked in the farming side and Anita got experience in bookkeeping. She said they are grateful for the help and knowledge they received from some of their past employers, some of whom they remain close with.
In 1996 the de Boers began their own dairy business by renting a property with a dairy and barn in Rochester. They started with 15 cows that were hand milked and their milk was sent to Darigold or one of its distributors. They later moved to selling raw milk and raw milk cheeses directly to the public. But in January 2012 the fledgling dairy got a bacteria in its products and the de Boers recalled their products for fear it may be E. coli. It turned out to be something much less dangerous but Anita said the experience was a wake-up call.
“It was not deadly but it was bad enough we decided we didn't want to jeopardize our dairy by selling raw milk anymore,” she said. “So we went through the process and got our pasteurization license.”
Pasteurizing their milk not only gave the de Boers piece of mind but also allowed them to start making one product they had always wanted to feature: yogurt. Anita said she had been making her own yogurt for years in order to get the creamy style she was accustomed to.
Carrina Stanton is a local freelance writer specializing in pieces for the Life section of The Chronicle. She and her husband are raising their two daughters in Chehalis.
