Jonny Slack, a 36-year-old dairy farmer at Dolphenby Farm in Cumbria overseeing around 500 cows, expresses his fondness for early mornings. His routine typically commences at 5 am with milking the cows and ensuring their well-being and nourishment until around 8 am, followed by a breakfast break.
Dolphenby Farm is a key supplier of milk for Nestlé’s Nescafé frothy coffees, produced at the nearby Dalston factory, just 20 miles away. Jonny emphasizes that the key to producing high-quality milk lies in providing cows with top-notch grass and soil.
The farm’s success is attributed to the enduring 21-year collaboration with Nestlé and First Milk, a British farmer-owned dairy co-operative. Robert Craig, Jonny’s co-manager, highlights the exceptional partnership between the two entities, noting the significant support for transitioning towards regenerative practices.
In recent years, Dolphenby has placed a strong emphasis on soil health and biodiversity, reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers. Jonny underscores the importance of regenerative farming, emphasizing harmony with nature to safeguard the soil, cows, and people alike.
While Robert hails from a lineage of farmers, Jonny, who started as a cowman at 16, has forged his own path within the industry. Now a stakeholder at Dolphenby, Jonny resides with his wife, Lucy, and their three-year-old daughter, Neave, reflecting on the farm as an ideal environment for a child to grow up.
Despite Lucy’s full-time off-farm job, Jonny acknowledges her crucial role in supporting and advising him, emphasizing the collective effort required in the family-centric business of farming. The article concludes by highlighting the locally sourced milk from healthy, pasture-grazed cows that finds its way into beverages like Nescafé Latte, underscoring the farm’s commitment to quality and sustainability.