Little Brown Cow Dairy in Ontario: History, What It Makes, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Little Brown Cow Dairy near Brantford, Ontario, is a Jersey dairy that processes all of its own milk on the farm and sells it direct from its farm store. Owners Jenny Butcher and Wes Kuntz were named among Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers for 2021 as Ontario's winners, and their Local Food Emporium opened in 2017.
| Location | Near Brantford, Brant County, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Founded | Started about 11 years before a published profile, after leaving a family dairy |
| Sectors | Jersey dairy; on-farm processing; farm store; beef and honey |
| Scale | About 70 Jersey cows (as published); about 5,500 store visitors a week |
| Why it is elite | Ontario winner in Canada's 2021 Outstanding Young Farmers program; fully integrated farm-to-store model |
| Ownership | Owned and run by Jenny Butcher and Wes Kuntz |
| Official website | Harrowsmith magazine profile of Little Brown Cow Dairy |
History of Little Brown Cow Dairy
Jenny Butcher and Wes Kuntz left Wes's family dairy and began by renting a barn to milk 20 cows. They then bought a small, rundown farm with an old abattoir and converted its barn for dairy use. The business was first licensed as Tanbark Jersey Creamery before being renamed Little Brown Cow.
The couple later added a local food store. A national award announcement says they process 100 percent of their Jersey milk on the farm, sell it from the farm gate, and opened their Local Food Emporium in 2017, drawing about 5,500 people a week. In 2021 they were named among Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers as an Ontario couple.
What Little Brown Cow Dairy Grows and Raises
The herd is about 70 Jersey cows. Jersey milk is known for its butterfat and protein, which suits cheese and full-fat milk products. The farm holds a milk processing licence, with Wes Kuntz running dairy processing and both partners handling farm work.
Products include curds, soft cheeses, un-homogenized full-fat white and chocolate milk, and Campfire Cheese, a marshmallow-shaped cheese that roasts well. They also sell their own beef and honey.
The on-farm store stocks local meats, spice mixes, sauces, soup beans and seasonal produce from other producers. A commercial kitchen makes ready-made meals and desserts from farm ingredients.
How Little Brown Cow Dairy Makes Money
Dairy products sold direct
Milk, curds and cheeses are processed on site and sold through the farm-gate store, which keeps the processor's and retailer's margin on the farm rather than leaving it to a distant plant.
Farm store and Local Food Emporium
The store sells other local producers' meat, sauces and produce alongside the farm's own products, which brings customers back weekly and adds a second revenue base.
Prepared foods and extras
A commercial kitchen turns farm ingredients into ready-made meals and desserts, and the farm also sells its own beef and honey. No revenue figures are published or estimated here.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Little Brown Cow Dairy
Direct sales can make a small herd viable. By processing all of the milk and selling at the farm gate, the owners capture value that a typical milk shipper does not. Second, a store that sells other local producers' goods turns a single product line into a destination and builds a network of suppliers.
Third, each step needs its own licences, skills and capital, so the business grew in stages: milking, then processing, then retail, then a kitchen. Farms considering similar models should check milk processing rules with the provincial ministry and plan labor for retail, not just milking.
A Jersey herd that turns milk into marshmallow-shaped cheese is the kind of thing farm.FM could not invent if it tried. Real farm satire needs real material, and Campfire Cheese is gold. Farm humor often asks who first hung a bell on a cow, while ranch humor would argue the cows came up with the cheese. These farm jokes come with respect, because running milking, processing and a store at once is a marathon of early mornings.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
How to Contact Little Brown Cow Dairy
Website: https://harrowsmithmag.com/8591/curds-and-whey-more-little-brown-cow-dairy-farm-and-store
No official website or direct business contact details were found in the sources used for this page, so the link above is the best verified public page about the operation, checked November 2026. Confirm any visit, purchase or partnership enquiry directly with the operation.
Little Brown Cow Dairy Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Harrowsmith: Little Brown Cow Dairy Farm and Store - Independent magazine profile of the dairy and store.
- Farms.com: 2021 Outstanding Young Farmers - National award coverage.
- Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers: Ontario region - Program page for the Ontario region of the national award.
- Statistics Canada: Ontario in the 2021 Census of Agriculture - Official 2021 Census of Agriculture figures for Ontario farms, greenhouse area and sectors.
- Ontario government agriculture census page - Provincial summary of Census of Agriculture data for Ontario.
Little Brown Cow Dairy FAQ
Where is Little Brown Cow Dairy?
It is near Brantford, Ontario, south of the city on a main highway.
What does Little Brown Cow Dairy sell?
Curds, soft cheeses, un-homogenized milk, Campfire Cheese, beef and honey, plus other local foods in its store.
How many cows does it have?
A published profile reports about 70 Jersey cows.
What award did the owners win?
Jenny Butcher and Wes Kuntz were Ontario's winners among Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers for 2021.
Little Brown Cow Dairy shows how a modest Jersey herd can support a full farm-to-customer business when processing and retail stay on the farm. For the rules, markets and programs that shape Ontario dairy and direct sales, see the Ontario farms guide and the other profiles below.