PORTLAND, Oregon — April 30, 2020 — MilkRun, a farm-to-door delivery service of locally made groceries is delivering Make-Your-Own-Cheese Kits for Kids to save one Oregon farmer at risk of losing her creamery because of COVID-19. The kits were developed with Little Sous, makers of monthly subscription boxes designed to teach kids how to cook, and are available now at milkruncheesekit.com.
Cora Wahl, owner of Langlois Creamery in southern Oregon had buyers for the 10,000 gallons of sheep milk she was set to produce this year, but when the coronavirus hit the West Coast, those orders disappeared overnight. On April 1, 2020 she had 10,000 gallons of milk and nowhere to sell it. That’s when she contacted MilkRun.
“When Cora reached out, we knew we had to help. I founded MilkRun to end the small farm crisis in America,” said Julia Niiro, CEO and Founder of MilkRun. “We don’t know yet how the coronavirus will affect small farmers. Certainly many like Cora are struggling because restaurants, their main customers, all-but-shuttered overnight. But we’re also seeing a huge upswing in demand for local food.”
“The best kind of innovation right now is grounded in empathy,” said Kelly Montoya, CEO & Founder of Little Sous, whose educational materials share center-stage with the sheep milk products in these kits. “We feel incredibly lucky to be in a position to support Langlois Creamery and Oregon families looking for means to keep to their kids learning while out of school, and in a way that directly impacts our local food system.”
Little Sous delivers monthly cooking lessons to kids and families while teaching them S.T.E.A.M., language arts and social studies all through the lens of food. The program also focuses on developing social/emotional skills from creativity to confidence, resilience to independence.
Subscriptions have seen a surge in growth from around the country. “I feel so grateful to MilkRun, Little Sous, and all of the amazing people who are stepping up to buy my milk,” said Cora Wahl, owner of Langlois Creamery. “I started my creamery two years ago and have intentionally grown slowly and responsibly. It was devastating to think that something out of my control could take my dream away. I really hope this plan works!”
Milk from Langlois Creamery is also available for sale by the quart at localmilkrun.com.