Growth beyond their wildest dreams

FREEDOM, Wis. — For years, Tammy Fritsch dreamed of marketing milk from the small herd of Guernseys she and her daughter, Breanna, were building. That dream came to fruition in 2021 when they launched Two Guernsey Girls Creamery, marketing A2A2 milk from their herd.

“We started this with just five cows and a 33-gallon bulk tank that held four milkings for us,” Fritsch said. “I worried how it would go. Would the research and planning we’d done be right? Would people come and buy our milk, (and) could we make this work? I never dreamed we’d get this far, this fast.”

Establishing an on-farm creamery and retail store took a leap of faith.

“The first six months we dumped milk because nobody really knew where we were or what we were doing until we started going to markets,” Fritsch said. “We were processing maybe a hundred gallons of milk a week. Now I’m doing that much every single day.”

As the demand began to grow, Fritsch realized she needed more than five cows, adding stalls to the barn to accommodate 13. The 33-gallon bulk tank has been replaced by two 66-gallon tanks. She makes cheese curds three days a week and bottles milk daily. Fritsch has received accolades for the milk in the Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Products Contest each year since 2023.

Balancing supply with demand can be challenging, Fritsch said.

“When we were relying largely on markets, we didn’t need as much milk in the winter, so we’d dry some up in the winter and calve everyone in the spring,” Fritsch said. “Now I need a more constant supply throughout the year.”

Fritsch’s product line has expanded, as well, from bottling just white and chocolate milk to making cheese curds. They have also added additional flavored milks, based on the season.

After building both reputation and sales through a variety of farmers markets, the greatest growth for Two Guernsey Girls Creamery took place earlier this year — when a storefront location in the nearby town of Freedom became available.

“I didn’t feel like I was getting anything done because there were so many people coming into the store on the farm,” Fritsch said. “We found out in February that this was coming available. … It’s been a soft-serve ice cream store for 17 years, so it was kind of a natural fit.”

That natural fit accommodated Fritsch’s next dream — making hard-scoop ice cream.

“I applied for a Dairy Business Innovation Alliance grant to purchase a new hard-scoop ice cream machine,” Fritsch said. “I wanted another A2A2 product to offer, and ice cream seemed logical.”

For labor efficiency, Fritsch makes her ice cream on-site at the store. This required her to procure a second dairy plant license in addition to the one she holds for the on-farm creamery.

Fritsch is currently using a standard ice cream mix, but she is working to develop a mix made from the A2A2 milk produced on her farm.

“We’ve run batches and we’re getting close,” Fritsch said. “We have to get the fat content up some more. We’ve sourced A2A2 cream and whey to dehydrate and put in my mix.”

When her base comes to fruition, Fritsch said she will need to reconsider the rest of her product line due to supply.

“Right now, we’re going through about 75 gallons of ice cream base a week,” Fritsch said. “I’m struggling to keep up right now, so something would have to go, I’m just not sure what. I love making my cheese and everybody loves my curds, and I’ve received recognition for my award-winning milk.”

As Fritsch wrestles with her supply issues, she said she marvels at the demand that has created the problem. The new store celebrated its grand opening June 20, and Fritsch said there has not been a dull or quiet day all summer.

“I’ve had five people working from 2-6 p.m., all summer and they just scoop, scoop scoop,” Fritsch said. “I’ll get notifications from my Square account constantly while I’m milking.”

Fritsch relies on a crew of primarily high school students to work in the storefront, with a few other employees with daytime availability during the school year.

The previous owner hosted weekly brat fries at the store, a community tradition Fritsch plans to continue, with a twist.

“I’ve been partnering with the FFA and other groups and sports teams to help run the brat fries as fundraisers,” Fritsch said. “It’s good for them and it brings people to the store.”

To sell her products, Fritsch has had to navigate the layers of her business and its growth. For the farmers markets, Fritsch invested in a refrigerated trailer, allowing her to transport her wares.

“We have cut back on the farmers markets and still do the Green Bay market, but we’ve had to skip several because we haven’t had enough to take,” Fritsch said.

Customer requests have led Fritsch to consider another avenue of growth for Two Guernsey Girls — utilizing the trailer for providing ice cream, on-site, for events.

“We have started scooping ice cream at events and wedding receptions,” Fritsch said. “We brought in another dipping station that we rolled onto the trailer.”

As the sole holder of the licensure required to process the milk and make cheese, getting time away is more difficult than just finding chore help, Fritsch said.

“Breanna and I skipped town for a couple of days to get away — you’ve got to do that once in a while or you’ll go crazy,” Fritsch said. “I have two people who help me on the farm side, but we had to dump milk because no one could process it. That is part of why we’ve been struggling with supply.”

With the wide range of demands on her time — from herd care and chores, to processing and marketing, to managing the business — Fritsch has begun using CowManager to help with surveilling her herd for heat detection and potential health issues.

The success and growth Two Guernsey Girls Creamery has experienced since its first batch of milk was bottled four years ago is mind-boggling, Fritsch said.

“It’s been a dream, and beyond the answers to my prayers,” Fritsch said. “Taking that plunge was so scary. Would we sell enough to pay the bills, let alone provide an income? That was such an unknown. Yes, the growing pains are sometimes rough, but we’re really blessed to be living our dream with our Guernsey cows.”