Milk with Dignity to expand through partnership with Vermont Way Foods

On October 3rd, 2017 dairy workers and corporate executives at Ben & Jerry’s joined together for a historic occasion. After years of farmworkers urging the global ice cream brand to join the Milk with Dignity Program, the two sides signed a contract in front of the company’s flagship scoop shop. This represented the first time that a dairy company entered into an agreement with the farmworkers in its supply chain and led to the launch of the Milk with Dignity Program.

The past eight years have been nothing short of transformative. Following the agreement, 100% of Ben & Jerry’s dairy supply chain has enrolled in Milk with Dignity, totaling 20% of Vermont’s entire dairy industry. Hundreds of farmworkers have benefited from the Program’s worker-defined rights, and millions of dollars have been invested in higher wages and benefits. For the first time, dairy workers have won enforceable protections against harassment, discrimination, child labor, forced labor, violence, and retaliation. Farmworkers, farmers, and companies have worked together to bring a new day for human rights in dairy.

In an exciting development, through a new partnership with Vermont Way Foods, Milk with Dignity is set to expand! Co-owned by four non-profit food hubs across the state, Vermont Way Foods has brought locally-grown, organic produce to a regional market since 2022. The brand is soon to launch a new cheese, to be found in stores this fall.

Vermont Way Foods cheese will be wholly sourced in partnership with the Milk with Dignity Program and will be the first product on the market to bear the Milk with Dignity label. The collaboration – supported through the tireless efforts of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont – also represents Milk with Dignity’s expansion into organic dairy.

Join us in Middlebury, VT at 11am this Friday, October 3rd, on the eighth anniversary of the Milk with Dignity Program, to celebrate the new partnership and get the first pre-launch tasting of the new cheese before it hits the shelves at stores around the region. Following a press conference, the celebratory, family-friendly event will feature home cooked Mexican food, music, and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. See you there!