Ed Salt, Delamere Dairy

Ed Salt is managing director of Delamere Dairy, the Cheshire based dairy which specialises in goats’ products as well as cows’ milk.  We had a good chat with Ed on everything from what he loves about the local Cheshire farming community and why it’s a great fit working with Creamline, to why people will be in for a pleasant surprise when they try goats’ milk for the first time.

Has your farm always been based in Knutsford?

No, Liz and Roger Sutton were based in Cheshire’s lovely Delamere Forest when they started their first herd with just three goats nearly thirty years ago.  Today, Delamere Dairy’s home is an idyllic farm in Knutsford and demand for our dairy products is so high that a group of trusted family farms help us with milk supplies.  

How do Creamline and Delamere  work together?

Creamline has been marketing and selling our goats’ milk and sterilised cows’ milk for well over five years now.  It’s a great relationship as whilst we have a strong network of retailers stocking Delamere products, we’re really keen to see our milk and dairy on the doorsteps of our local area – Cheshire and Greater Manchester – too.  Creamline embraces the doorstep convenience offering with such innovation and vigour that the dairy’s an ideal partner for us. 

Why are Creamline and Delamere Dairies such a good fit?

Like Creamline we’re extremely proud of our local connection and we’re immersed socially and business-wise with the farming community.  It’s a real way of life and everyone looks out for each other.  The two companies’ ethos and ethics are really in-line too, with both Delamere and Creamline Dairies focussing firmly on working in a responsible way with a real regard for our farmers, customers and staff.  We also both believe in having some fun along the way – which I think shines through in our Fun Farm activities designed for the kids in all of us and Creamline’s initiatives aimed at families, like the great video the team produced showing milk’s journey to our breakfast tables.

Goats’ products seem to be growing in popularity – why do you think that is?

76% of people who opt for goats’ milk do so for health reasons, as there are plenty of benefits – for people with a cows’ milk protein allergy, we would always recommend they consult a health professional before trialling goats’ milk though.

What would you say to someone who hasn’t tried goats’ milk before?

I’d challenge them to try semi-skimmed goats’ milk – they’ll be surprised by how tasty it is.  You do hear people saying that they’ve tried goats’ cheese and not liked it, but that’s no reason not to give goats’ milk a go.  You wouldn’t expect cows’ milk to taste of a strong Stilton, and it’s the same principle.  A good analogy for goats’ milk and cows’ milk is the relationship between parsnips and carrots: they’re both from the same family but they each have their unique and equally pleasant taste and characteristics.  There’s definitely a place for both types of milk in most people’s fridges – there’s a milk for every mood!

It sounds like Delamere Dairy and Creamline Dairies may well be the parsnips and carrots of the dairy world then!  Why do you think the companies work so well together?

Across the whole of Creamline’s business, everyone we come into contact with in a working day – from board level to logistics – is a pleasure to work with.  You can pick up the phone to the people at Creamline and know you’re going to have a real, sensible conversation: their values mean their thinking is in line with ours and it’s not unusual for us to share ideas for moving our businesses forward.  Both companies are passionate about continuing to grow and develop thriving dairy businesses and seeing our dairy and convenience products on doorsteps across Cheshire and Manchester.