Back to the farm

Homestead Creamery is a local Virginia dairy that uses its packaging not only to promote sustainability, but also as part of its brand image.

Homestead’s milk bottles are old-school glass. As their website says, the glass bottle has an emotional pull because it “reminds you of simpler times when you could find a moment of peace and joy in a cold beverage.”

(Some of their delivery trucks also have a quaint, old-fashioned look to them.)

However, the use of glass also is practical. Consumers are encouraged to wash out the bottles and return them to the store where they were purchased – and, in turn, the store sends them back to the dairy for re-use.  Consumers get a $2 rebate for each bottle they send back, which is pretty significant. 

According to the Homestead website, 80 percent of local markets participate in the program, and some bottles have been in use for up to 10 years.  (Obviously, they sanitize each bottle diligently before it goes back on the market.)

Sustainability is part of Homestead’s ethos, and it has cleverly woven that ethos into its product into a way that consumers can see and feel every day.