Edgewood Dairy: A true family operation
Edgewood Dairy and Creamery has experienced continual growth as time has passed. The family dairy offers products in multiple states and gives locals the opportunity to purchase locally made cheeses and fresh milk at their creamery. Pictured above, Melissa Fletcher makes cheese at the creamery they opened in 2015.
June 13, 2018
Charlea Estes-Jones
June is dairy month, and one of the state’s leading dairies is located here in Barry County. If you’d told the Fletcher family 20 years ago that today, their products would be sold in stores and used in restaurants all over, they’d never have believed it. However, Charles and Melissa Fletcher have grown their humble Washburn family dairy back in 1997 into a bit of a family dairy empire, with their products known in multiple states.
Charles shared, “I grew up on a dairy farm. In 1993, we formed a family partnership, and we had poultry and dairy all together south of Washburn.”
By 1997, they’d switched their dairy to a grazing method. Grazing is desirable for dairy cows and is considered healthier in many circles. Charles said, “In 2001, we wanted to grow our dairy, so we moved to Purdy. We didn’t have enough land in Washburn.”
Since then, the Fletchers’ farm has continued to grow. In 2015, they opened a creamery on site that allows the public to purchase both fresh and aged cheeses as well as milk and other products.
When they started, they had 75 cows, now they have 300. Fletcher said, “I never would have guessed it would have grown as much.
“But cows lasted longer than we thought, and we had to grow or sell cows. So we grew.”
While a lot of dairy operations in Barry County have transitioned over to beef cattle or poultry farming, Edgewood has thrived. Fletcher said he attributes their success to controlling costs and working together as a family.
Charles and Melissa are joined by their son, Tyler, and his wife, Aubrey, as well as their daughter, Mikala, when she isn’t in college. They are also joined by Melissa’s family: Randy, Wanda and Leon Brown.
Fletcher said, “Being able to work together and control costs of grazing as much as we can is how we are still here.”
There have been multiple changes in the way Edgewood operates over the years. Fletcher said, “We’re in a lot more retail stores and wholesale. Grocery stores in Springfield and Branson and northwest Arkansas and restaurants, as well.
“Most of our growth now is in the wholesale market.”
Products are available in restaurants and grocery stores in Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma, according to Edgewood’s website.
Melissa took cheesemaking classes in Vermont to be able to expand the family’s products available to the public. Charles said, “People like local products and coming from a family farm, like our artisan cheese.
“They like the fresh product. A lot of times when people taste our milk, it reminds them of milk they used to get, milk off the farm, that sort of thing.”
Edgewood Creamery is located at 5888 Farm Road 1090 in Purdy. They can be reached through Facebook, their website edgewoodcreamery.com or at (417) 442-3010.
They will host a farm day in honor of dairy month on Saturday, June 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be free farm tours and fried cheese curds and grilled cheese for sale.
Charlea Estes-Jones
June is dairy month, and one of the state’s leading dairies is located here in Barry County. If you’d told the Fletcher family 20 years ago that today, their products would be sold in stores and used in restaurants all over, they’d never have believed it. However, Charles and Melissa Fletcher have grown their humble Washburn family dairy back in 1997 into a bit of a family dairy empire, with their products known in multiple states.
Charles shared, “I grew up on a dairy farm. In 1993, we formed a family partnership, and we had poultry and dairy all together south of Washburn.”
By 1997, they’d switched their dairy to a grazing method. Grazing is desirable for dairy cows and is considered healthier in many circles. Charles said, “In 2001, we wanted to grow our dairy, so we moved to Purdy. We didn’t have enough land in Washburn.”
Since then, the Fletchers’ farm has continued to grow. In 2015, they opened a creamery on site that allows the public to purchase both fresh and aged cheeses as well as milk and other products.
When they started, they had 75 cows, now they have 300. Fletcher said, “I never would have guessed it would have grown as much.
“But cows lasted longer than we thought, and we had to grow or sell cows. So we grew.”
While a lot of dairy operations in Barry County have transitioned over to beef cattle or poultry farming, Edgewood has thrived. Fletcher said he attributes their success to controlling costs and working together as a family.
Charles and Melissa are joined by their son, Tyler, and his wife, Aubrey, as well as their daughter, Mikala, when she isn’t in college. They are also joined by Melissa’s family: Randy, Wanda and Leon Brown.
Fletcher said, “Being able to work together and control costs of grazing as much as we can is how we are still here.”
There have been multiple changes in the way Edgewood operates over the years. Fletcher said, “We’re in a lot more retail stores and wholesale. Grocery stores in Springfield and Branson and northwest Arkansas and restaurants, as well.
“Most of our growth now is in the wholesale market.”
Products are available in restaurants and grocery stores in Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma, according to Edgewood’s website.
Melissa took cheesemaking classes in Vermont to be able to expand the family’s products available to the public. Charles said, “People like local products and coming from a family farm, like our artisan cheese.
“They like the fresh product. A lot of times when people taste our milk, it reminds them of milk they used to get, milk off the farm, that sort of thing.”
Edgewood Creamery is located at 5888 Farm Road 1090 in Purdy. They can be reached through Facebook, their website edgewoodcreamery.com or at (417) 442-3010.
They will host a farm day in honor of dairy month on Saturday, June 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be free farm tours and fried cheese curds and grilled cheese for sale.
