Update on Vermont producer of Buffalo’s Milk Products

Mar 27th, 2008 by Danielle

You may recall a recent post, in which I recommended yogurt produced by Woodstock Water Buffalo Company under the Spoondance Creamery label. On a shopping trip a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that Whole Foods was nearly sold out of the yogurt. ”Wow,” I thought,”a ton of people in western Massachusetts read my blog and rushed out to find buffalo’s milk yogurt! Eat your heart out, Clotilde Dusoulier!”

Unfortunately, I learned that the shortage was not caused by a sudden explosion of Savor Culture fanaticism. Days after I published the post, Woodstock Water Buffalo closed its doors. It seems that the company had been sold by its founder, David Muller, to a private investment group in 2006. In February, those investors declined to provide the capital needed for national distribution of WWB’s products. Production ceased, and the company was put up for sale.

The new owner is an Italian-born businessman currently residing in Toronto, Canada. According to the Burlington Free Press, he is committed to keeping the company in Vermont, and he plans to expand the product line to include grass-fed buffalo meat and aged cheese, in addition to yogurt and mozzarella. In a telephone conversation, an employee of the company told me that aged cheeses will be developed with several Vermont small-scale cheesemakers: Plymouth Cheese, Crowley Cheese Company, and Jasper Hill Farm.

The company is now known as Vermont Water Buffalo Inc, and its products are expected to be available beginning in April, though distribution will be limited to Vermont for some time. The name “Spoondance Creamery” will not be used for at least six months, as a condition of the business deal.

I was relieved to learn that this unique operation, with its herd of 680 water buffalo, is back in business. By all accounts, the new owner seems to have the passion (and the deep pockets) needed to make this project successful again. I’m looking forward to trying the new products from Vermont Water Buffalo, and will provide updates about product distribution.

Tags: buffalo's milk, mozzarella, Vermont, yogurt

Posted in Enjoying Cheese, Butter and Yogurt, Savoring Culture

11 Responses to “Update on Vermont producer of Buffalo’s Milk Products”

on 27 Mar 2008 at 9:42 pm1stephen

wow. thank you for this post–it answers everything–that yogurt had become my favorite part of the day, and i was pretty worried.
on 28 Mar 2008 at 10:27 pm2Danielle

Stephen,

Isn’t it a relief? I can’t wait to try their new buffalo’s milk products!
on 31 Mar 2008 at 3:02 pm3Carey

Danielle, thanks for keeping everyone posted on the latest happenings at Vermont Water Buffalo. I work at the company and can tell you that we’re all thrilled to be back in business. We look forward to bringing even more amazing water buffalo products to you in the future. I will let you know when our online store is up and running. Thanks again. Carey, Vermont Water Buffalo.
on 02 Apr 2008 at 8:47 pm4Danielle

Carey,

Thanks for stopping by! Please do keep us updated– you guys have a fan base here!
on 26 Apr 2008 at 12:14 am5Anonymous

thanks Danielle,
I found out 2 years ago at the age of 48 that I was allergic to cow,goat and sheeps milk. I decided a couple of weeks ago to try buffalo products after researching and finding out that they actually have more calcium and other vitamins than you normal milk products. I bought some of the mozzerella from Whole Foods but the store closest to me did not have the milk or yogurt(there are only 3 or 4 stores in the entire state of Massachusetts and one is located in a very busy part of the state where I work).
on 28 Apr 2008 at 7:53 pm6Danielle

Hi,

Thanks for sharing your experience– it’s good to hear that buffalo’s milk may allow you to enjoy dairy products. I’ll let you know as soon as I see VWB products at Whole Foods in Hadley, MA. Take care!
on 28 Aug 2008 at 5:19 pm7Laura

Hurray! It’s back! I was sooooo upset when I couldn’t get this any longer and now I have found that I can get it again. Looks like I will need to mail order for a while until my local store can get it regularly.
This is such great news I’m going to order a few cases this week!
I LOVE this yogurt since I can’t eat regular cow’s milk and I don’t like goat’s milk yogurt. Water buffalo yogurt is the best!
on 28 Aug 2008 at 7:20 pm8Danielle

Hi Laura, thanks for joining the Water Buffalo Appreciation Club! We love those hairy beasts in Vermont.
on 03 Sep 2008 at 6:10 pm9John

Just picked up my first yogurt from the new Vermont Water Buffalo. Thank goodness they are back. I wonder if cappuccino will be back, too.
on 20 Aug 2009 at 9:56 am10Ron

It’s August 20, 2009 and I live in Vermont with my wife who has many allergies. Buffalo yogurt was a God send. I called the farm yesterday because I was having a difficult time getting their product locally. A very nice gentleman informed me they were temporarilly shutting down operations and moving the herd to Canada. The porblem is getting corn silage for a resonable price. He said they should be back in operation by January or February of 2010. We are very disappointed to hear this.
on 02 Sep 2009 at 7:38 pm11Danielle

Hi Ron,

Thank you so much for posting the information about Bufala di Vermont. It is disappointing to hear that their products won’t be available for the rest of the year. Like you, I hope that they are able to resolve the feed situation and to return in the winter.

I hadn’t noticed the absence of the products because we moved away from New England last year. You seem well-informed and aware of the alternatives to cow’s milk (i.e. goat’s and ewe’s milk), but I can’t resist recommending yogurts from Trader Joe’s and Redwood Hill Farm (goat) and Old Chatham Sheepherding Company (sheep). Of course, there is also soy yogurt and coconut milk yogurt, which I have tried and enjoyed. I hope that your wife is able to find something she enjoys in the interim!