Jamberoo dairy farmers were unaware the milk from their cows was being marketed as coming exclusively from their pristine valley until the brand blew up across social media.
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The story behind Jamberoo Valley Milk is beginning to emerge after Picton milk processor Country Valley went under, calling in administrators earlier this month.
In June last year, a white two-litre bottle lit up Facebook groups in the Shoalhaven and Illawarra and was quickly adopted by cafes and consumers wanting to support local dairy farmers.
However the news came as a surprise to Jamberoo dairy farmer Steve Downes who supplied Country Valley, co-owned by husband and wife John and Sally Fairley.
"We didn't even know about the brand itself," he said. "We found out about it on social media that he [John] was doing it and people were like, 'Isn't this great, you guys have started this brand,' and we're like, 'We didn't start the brand.'"
Mr Downes, who had been a supplier of Country Valley for two years, said orders continued to remain solid in 2022, when close to the end of the year payments began to arrive irregularly.
"Not there one week, and then all there the next week, and then we all started to notice bits and pieces weren't fully coming through."
Mr Downes sent his last shipment off in March, but has since left the dairy industry, and has started working for an Albion Park based construction contractor.
In a Facebook post on the Country Valley page, Mr Fairley wrote to customers that the business had to close due to minor health scares, and that it is "time to reassess".
Mr Fairley also put down the business's closure to increased climate variability as well as cafe closures.
"In the last year extreme wet weather has caused continual milk quality issues with use by and frothing," the post reads.
When contacted by The Mercury for comment, Mr Fairley declined to speak further while the business remains in administration.
Mr Downes said he was not pursuing the money he was owed, but noted that farmers did not see increased returns after the premium milk brand launched.
Kiama MP Gareth Ward has asked the NSW government to pay dairy farmers what they are owed if they cannot recover the funds through the administration process.
"I have put questions on notice to the Minister for Agriculture regarding the administration of Country Valley and seeking advice on any assistance the Government may provide," he said.
"Some farmers have been left out of pocket around $200,000."
While he has left the industry for now, Mr Downes said it did not mark the end of dairying in the birthplace of Australia's dairy industry.
"It's dependant on your setup and what resources you have available to you," he said.
"It's not a simple question of is it viable or not, in any one area."
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