THUNDER BAY -- It's the day the Mol family has been looking forward to for years: the day the milk finally flowed.
Wilma and Jim Mol of Slate River Dairy first penned a letter of intent to the Ministry of Agriculture four years ago, putting a dream in motion to begin pasteurizing milk from their own Riberbend Farm.
After mountains of paperwork as well as waiting on grants, loans, tradespeople and inspectors, their dream came true.
"Some people say Dutch people are stubborn. I don't say that anymore," Wilma said.
"I just say Dutch people are determined. That's what we are: we're determined to bring a good product onto the market because the milk that leaves our yard is of supreme quality and we don't always find that same quality back on the store shelf."
In the same day milk is drawn from the Mols' cows, it will be slowly heated and pasteurized without being homogenized. Slate River Dairy's thousand-litre vat will produce 600 litres each day, 400 of which will be whole milk and 200 of which will be processed into yogurt the next day. Plans are in motion to begin production on skim milk as well and Wilma believes when the family masters production, they could produce three vats each day.
"People say if you want to change the world, start by yourself and that's the motto we took on, too. If we want to have good milk on the store shelf, maybe we have to start processing it ourselves," she said.
"The passion is still there, determination is still there. It did go up and down the last four years we had setbacks at some points. But then it's the people who were always at the market asking, 'when will you get milk? When will you get milk?' Those are the people that kept us going."
In turn, Slate River Dairy keeps the Country Market growing.
The Mols will deliver their first batch to Wednesday's farmer's market on the CLE grounds and Country Market board member Bill Groenheide couldn't be more excited.
"As we see it, we have the vegetables, we have the meat and eggs, now the dairy," he said.
"It's just another level that the Thunder Bay residents really want. They've really come to the Country Market because of this product being there and now that they're producing it locally, it's another step for the Country Market. We're really thrilled."
