The milkman cometh

Los Angeles Times / latimes.com ^ | July 8, 2010 | By Rene Lynch, Los Angeles Times

[thecodont]

One of the hardest parts of Jim Pastor's job is convincing people that he exists: He's a milkman.

"The reaction is always the same," Pastor said. "People say, 'Really? A milkman? Like in the old days?' They always have a hard time believing it."

Pastor owns a Santa Ana-based delivery service that contracts with Rockview Farms, one of the largest family-owned dairies in Southern California. Each week, Pastor and his team of 14 milkmen drive their refrigerated trucks to more than 4,800 homes along routes in Los Angeles and Orange counties. They arrive in the wee morning hours and dash up to the front door, leaving behind cartons of farm-fresh milk, cheese, eggs, bread, butter and more.

There is a premium, of course: A gallon of milk delivered by Pastor is about 20 to 30 cents more than you'll find it at the store. But business has never been better. Relying largely on word-of-mouth, Pastor picked up 300 new residential clients just last month, and he's planning to expand home-delivery routes into Marina del Rey and Santa Monica.

The food world's rallying cry of recent years — "eat local, eat organic" — is lending new life to local dairies such as Downey-based Rockview Farms, which keeps its own dairy cows in Chino and other parts of Northern California and processes its own milk, including a line of organic dairy products. Using local advertising, word-of-mouth or old-fashioned door-to-door sales, these dairies spread the word that home delivery is not a thing of the past.

Freshness is their calling card: That milk lands on your doorstep in as little as 48 hours after milking, says Carole Roquemore, the director of marketing for Rockview.

[thecodont]

That symbol of retro suburbia is making the rounds again in Southern California.

Jim Pastor's service contracts with Rockview Dairy to bring milk to more than 4,800 SoCal homes. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

[shibumi]

Just don't let the sexy lady capture him in this room ...

[Krankor]

Mmmmph! They don’t even give you glass bottles.

[James C. Bennett]

The New York version of this, which was featured on a thread here about a month ago, at least had the deliveries done by men in milkman uniforms, and with glass bottles.

[pnut22]

If they only would put it in glass bottles again. I would so love that. Growing up we were pretty much country and poor, so we didn’t have milk delivery, but we did have a dairy store. It sold the milk in returnable half gallon bottles and the cream in little pint bottles. I don’t know if glass keeps milk colder or if just the sweat on the bottles makes one think so, but I know it makes it taste better. Our treat was a couple bottles of chocolate..

[oyez]

Returneable glass containers are gone forever due the cost of labor.

One way glass containers are on the way out. For many products we by buy, the container cost is more more than the commodity itself.

[Ronin]

There are still milkmen in Japan, believe it or not. I don’t use them myself because the milk is so expensive, but they are out there.

Little old men on bicycles or 50cc motorcycles for the most part.

More popular and a common site everywhere is the Yakalut lady, who delivers fresh yogurt drinks (and yogurt) to offices and residences. Mostly young housewives. Some of which are pretty darn cute!

[Grams A]

The good old days - we lived on the edge of town and did get the glass bottles. I agree it was better. We also had the Manor Man who came weekly - great cinnamon rolls and wonderful fresh bead. Between the two deliveries, the garden, a couple of calves, a few hens and a couple of pigs, I don’t remember ever going to the store.

[greeneyes]

Brings back memories. I so loved the milk delivery we used to have. It really cut down on the trips to the store. Great cheese, eggs, and juice in addition to the milk.

We were billed monthly. Just checked off what we wanted, and hung the order form on the doorknob at bedtime. The milkman put the order in an insulated box in the early am, and when we got up the next morning, there it was. It was great.

[6SJ7]

I don’t know if glass keeps milk colder or if just the sweat on the bottles makes one think so, but I know it makes it taste better.

Glass containers are more air-tight than plastic. The standard glass milk bottle was also limited to a quart, so the milk likely stayed fresher than the modern gallon plastic jugs; which take longer to use up once opened.

[P.O.E.]

Nothin’ better than a cold glass of premade chocolate milk fresh from the dairy. (made with whole milk, not the 1% you get at the store)

[bert]

.....Nothin’ better than a cold glass of premade chocolate milk fresh from the dairy.....

Barf.

How about a 39 degree bottle of Budweiser ..... much better

[P.O.E.]

I guess I was just reliving childhood memories.

I’m more of a Yuengling Premium fan myself nowadays.

[Auntie Mame]

We find that with a milk man we actually spend less per month on food as there are none of those trips to the store “just” for a gallon of milk where you end up spending $100.

[greeneyes]

“We find that with a milk man we actually spend less per month on food as there are none of those trips to the store “just” for a gallon of milk where you end up spending $100.”

I heard that! We used to get just a monthly check, and the Milkman service really helped us to keep the spending on budget. It also helped that last few days to have some nutritous meals when the money was gone, but we could still get eggs, milk, cheese and orange juice, without a payday loan.LOL.