CANBY, Ore. — TMK Creamery makes and sells products such as cheese and ice cream directly to the public, but the heart of the business is providing an experience for visitors — and that includes milking cows.

“You can talk and tell people all kinds of stuff, but when you allow them to do it, it changes their perspective,” said Marc Koch, dairy manager for the business.

He’s also the host of “Milking with Marc” most Friday nights at the farm, which allows up to 15 guests the chance for hands-on learning.

“I’ll show them how to do it and we’ll start going,” Koch said.

TMK Creamery is this year’s winner of Oregon Aglink’s Ag Connection Award, given for connecting the public to farms and ranches. The business will be honored at the organization’s annual Denim & Diamonds gala Nov. 22 in Salem, Ore.

Koch said that it’s critical to build trust with consumers, and that includes education about sustainability and showing visitors how cows are treated so they thrive.

“The number one thing here at TMK is that we want to have a conversation, even the awkward points. You gotta have those conversations,” Koch said.

Business background

TMK Creamery’s current business plan was born out of necessity.

The dairy sprang out of a childhood 4-H project from Koch’s brother, Todd Koch — his initials are TMK.

The business supplied milk to a cooperative for nearly 25 years but which shut down just as the Kochs were considering diving into value-added products and direct sales. In 2017 they started making their own cheeses and ice cream and in May 2018 the family opened its creamery and store, which includes space for gatherings and school tours.

“We let people see the whole process and let people do the process. It blows people’s minds, the simple things we do on the farm every day,” Koch said.

Today, TMK Creamery includes the dairy and creamery and an on-site food truck, and the farm is the home to TMK Distillery, which uses whey to create vodka “Cowcohol.”

The Kochs own 30 acres in the Canby area and lease 50 for their dairy herd of 20 cows.

The family also has a 700-acre Klamath County ranch that raises cattle and hay.

Beef is used in cheeseburgers and other products at the food truck and the hay goes to feed the family’s dairy herd.

Focus on direct sales

By concentrating on direct sales, the Kochs could try different products and ideas.

“The dairy industry isn’t thriving right now. As soon as you take control over your own product, you don’t have any boundaries, you don’t have any barriers,” Koch said.

That has led to products such as a single cow cheese, “Miss TMK,” and the vodka made with leftovers from the cheesemaking process.

In October, the Kochs also started selling their own beer, “Thirsty Heifers IPA,” made in partnership with Culmination Brewing of Portland. Spent grain from the brewing process is fed to the dairy cows.

“The dairy industry really uses a lot of byproducts. We try to utilize everything we can here,” Koch said.

The India pale ale is another example of how TMK Creamery has diversified to thrive.

The business also sells some of its products at nearby farm stores in Oregon, and Koch said he’s looking to build connections with restaurants and chefs to boost cheese sales.