Richardton family starts raw milk business, 4 Maids A-Milking

Richardton, North Dakota – A Richardton dairy farm owned by a family is introducing the neighborhood to a new milk product while instilling in their girls the value of perseverance.

You can frequently see Heidi Tormaschy at the Tormaschy Farm.

“This tank we store all of our four maids’ milk in,” said Heidi Tormaschy of Richardton.

The family’s new business, 4 Maids A-Milking, has kept the mother of four quite busy. After the family’s daughters, a raw milk company was established.

“We felt it was a good opportunity for our farm once raw milk became legal to sell,” said Heidi.

According to Heidi, the legislature of North Dakota just approved the sale of unpasteurized, raw milk. As a natural, farm-to-table product, it has gained popularity among some families, but it’s crucial to understand that it isn’t for everyone.

“There’s also bacteria in the milk that your body may never have come into contact with before and it’s important to keep that in mind that those bacteria that are killed during pasteurization are still present in a raw milk product,” said Heidi.

Customers can buy half-gallon-sized glass jars of their raw milk, and according to Heidi, so far there has been a lot of interest in it.

They go to farmers’ markets with the jars and offer pickup at their farm. Heidi emphasizes that she and her husband are, above all, enjoying the novel experience with their four assistants.

“After school, they have a few chores that they do, feed calves, give them water, sometimes they’ll bring the cows in to milk with us,” said Heidi.

They intend to keep up this custom for years to come.

There is a Facebook page for 4 Maids A-Milking.