Better For You, the Cows & the Planet
It’s a win win win.
It took more than 25 years to get to where we are today, and we want to show you how we do things the Hart way.
This is an episode of the Georgia Public Broadcasting TV Show, “A Fork in the Road” featuring Hart Dairy, released in February 2021.
Every business has a story. Here’s ours.
Our story begINS 25 years ago.
Our Farmer Emeritus, Richard Watson (aka Dr. Watson, Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition and Grazing Techniques), wanted to bring the most advanced dairy practices from around the world to the United States.
More specifically, to Hart Dairy’s farms in Georgia.
Why Georgia?
It’s because Georgia has one of the best climates in the U.S. to allow cows to graze outdoors 365 days a year, with plenty of water to grow fresh green grass year round.
Hart Dairy’s driving vision was to create farms that treat cows humanely and are better for the environment.
And that’s when Tim Connell (our CEO) joined the company.
Tim understood that the milk produced on our farms was unique and that the U.S. market was ready to stop viewing milk as a commodity.
He loved the idea of grass-fed milk because it has more omega-3s, vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) per serving than conventional milk.
Not to mention, it tastes amazing.
But he was tired of seeing products marketed as “grass-fed” when he knew those cows likely spent more than half a year in confinement.
Dairy companies can claim they sell “grass-fed milk” if their cows are on pasture during the grazing season for only 120 days a year, only needing 30% of their dry matter intake (food) to come from grazing.
And that just wasn’t good enough for Tim, so he decided to take Hart Dairy to a national scale.
Long story short, over the years, $30 million was invested, and the team set off to build an environmentally sustainable dairy with grass-fed cows that are outdoors year-round.
Fast forward to today; Hart Dairy is the only national brand in the U.S. to provide milk that comes from grass-fed, pasture-raised cows that are outdoors, 365 days a year. They are NEVER confined.
At Hart Dairy, we’re proud to be the first pasteurized dairy cow milk sold in the U.S. with the Certified Humane® designation. This rigorous process checks that all our dairy cows have the proper conditions to be healthy and live as close to nature as we can provide. This includes giving cows the proper feed, water, roaming space, light, shelter from the elements, temperature, and more.
In addition, Hart Dairy is Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World. This certification and food label lets consumers know these animals are raised outdoors on pasture or range in accordance with the highest animal welfare standards in the U.S. and Canada, using sustainable agriculture methods on an independent farm.
We’re also recognized by the ASPCA Shop With your Heart Program, Non-GMO Project Verified, and yes, we’re even Kosher.
WE CARE
Beyond taking care of our cows, at Hart Dairy farms we’re committed to helping the environment and practicing Regenerative Agriculture.
The number one way to sequester carbon and take it out of the atmosphere is to grow massive amounts of vegetation, and since our cows need so much space, that means A LOT of grasslands.
And because we are always growing something green, a 7 year study uncovered that our farms have been sequestering 3.5T of carbon a year on average, and up to 8.9T in our best year. That’s 17,800 pounds!
This puts Hart Dairy on track to be a Climate Positive company as early as 2024.
And it’s true what they say, happy cows really do make better milk. Many of our customers tell us it’s the best milk they’ve ever tasted.
They say it tastes like “real, old-fashioned milk. The way milk tasted when the milkman delivered it to your door in a glass bottle,” and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
At Hart, we are still working on ways to revolutionize the dairy industry — with nutrition, ethics, animal welfare, and sustainability at the forefront.
We genuinely pride ourselves on transparency and providing consumers with what they deserve: a nutritious, tasty, affordable product that you can feel good about drinking.
We’ve regenerated the land to levels only seen generations ago, when this land was a virgin forest.
questions?
Head over to our Frequently Asked Questions page for even more in-depth information.
Decades of experience in Dairy Farming, Regenerative Agriculture, Nutrient Studies and more
tim connell
Chief Executive Officer
Connell leads Hart Dairy with over 30 years of entrepreneurial success in the food and beverage industry. While Tim started his career as an accountant, he became a highly accomplished founder and investor in various sectors, including publishing, entertainment, and hospitality.
He co-founded Hart Dairy with the goal of building an ethically driven, transparent company. And with a verifiable track record of successfully taking new products to market, Tim is making Hart Dairy a brand that consumers can trust.
richard watson
Farmer Emeritus
Dr. Richard Watson is one of the world’s top experts in soil management and crop production, but he doesn’t brag about it.
He encourages farmers to farm the right way – 365 days a year, pasture-raised and grass-fed. Richard taught at The University of Georgia Agricultural College before starting his farm, where he’s worked over 20 years to perfect the practices.
Richard believed in putting the health of the cow first, and it’s why Hart Dairy’s milk is so delicious.
Jeremy Dobbie
Chief Operating Officer
George Konovalov
Vice President,
Sales
George brings over 35 years of sales management within the natural, organic, and specialty food industries.
He understands what consumers want, and he’ll work to get Hart Dairy milk on as many grocery store shelves as possible.
George is a recognized leader in the industry, and he is excited to make our milk THE milk you choose for your family.
Ron Marks
Vice President,
Operations and R&D
Ron knows what it means to work with food that tastes great.
He has over 40 years of experience elevating brands and creating delicious food, and he trained alongside well-known chef Jacques Pepin.
Ron’s passion for crafting healthy, ethical, and award-winning food – along with his immense knowledge of the science of food – is an important part of what makes Hart Dairy milk so delicious.