FAQ

All Clover Dairies sustainably recycle 100% of their manure and incorporate management plans.  Many of our dairies have manure separators that separate the liquids and solids. The liquids are stored in an irrigation pond and applied as fertilizer to pastures and/or crops.  The solids can be composted and used to enhance the soil and capture carbon or dried and used as bedding. Dried manure is often cooler, dryer and more comfortable than alternative bedding materials like sand.

We made a conscious commitment to support renewable and post-consumer recycled (PCR content) packaging innovation, as well as waste and recycling management. We’ve saved approximately 340,000 lbs of plastic annually by making sustainable decisions on our packaging.

We’ve saved 240,000 pounds of plastic through jug reduction and reused 100,000 pounds. Additionally, we use balers to help bundle the wrap for product pallets, saving 140,000 lbs of plastic annually.

In 2021-2022, we reduced water usage in our plant by 750,000 gallons.

We were the first U.S. dairy to switch to 100% plant-based, renewable cartons. Our new renewable carton is made from a combination of FSC paperboard that is sourced from trees and bioplastic that is sourced from sugarcane (which can be re-grown).

As defined under American Humane:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst

2. Freedom from discomfort

3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease

4. Freedom from fear and distress

5. Freedom to express normal behaviors

At Clover, we have held a longstanding belief in the humane treatment of animals. So much so that we were the first dairy ever certified by American Humane. What makes American Humane Certified farms different:

What makes AHC Certified farms different:

• Zero tolerance of animal abuse
• A safe environment for each animal
• Extensive employee training
• A herd health plan overseen by a veterinarian and nutritionist
• Annual farm audits
• Strict adherence to the five freedoms of animal welfare

The cows are milked by a machine. Machine milking is actually the best, most humane way to milk a cow; the pulsing, rest phase, and vacuum levels are very carefully calibrated. They’re also typically cleaner than human hands, preventing potential bacteria from spreading from cow to cow. The machines also sense when the milking is complete and are automatically removed.

Due to seasonality and an increasing lack of rainfall, it’s nearly impossible to raise 100% grass fed dairy cows in California without a significant amount of irrigation. Our cows are out on pasture as much as they can be, but their feed is supplemented with forages such as alfalfa, grain hays and silage, by products like almond hulls, grains such as corn, oats, and barley, as well as minerals/vitamins, among other ingredients to support the nutritional requirements of a dairy cow. As such, our dairy products are not made from 100% grass-fed cows.

Our dairies harvest grasses when they are growing rapidly in the spring and turn them into silage and hays. Then, they feed the preserved forages to the cows during other parts of the year. Pasture is the main source of feed for our organic cows during grazing/pasture season. When the grass dries up, or the pasture is too wet, it is only humane to bring in additional nutritional needs directly to the cows.

In addition to grasses from pasture, hay, or silage, cows also need some additional nutrition , so the dairies add other feeds for the carbohydrate, protein, vitamin, and mineral requirements that are not available in the forages. Those concentrate feeds could be corn, wheat, or barley. Our dairies also incorporate by-products such as almond hulls, rice bran, cottonseed, soybean meal, distiller’s grains, and beet pulp as feed for cows instead of ending up as waste in landfills!

It varies by farm. Most people use artificial insemination because they are able to improve the health and milk production of future generations through proven genetics. Most dairies work closely with a breeder — someone who works for a breeding company who is trained to identify the proper bulls to ensure the safety and health of the mother and calf.

Calves are cared for with the utmost attention from the moment they are born. For the health and safety of the calves, they are moved into individual pens but always within sight and sound of other calves.

Our dairy farms are audited and​ certified by American Humane, which​ requires the calves be taken to a warm protected area shortly after birth, where they are closely monitored to receive the proper amount of colostrum and ensure they don’t show any signs of illness. Once our calves have been given the “green light,” they enter a group pen with other calves. Each calf is very important, which is why we strive to keep them as safe, healthy, and protected as possible.

Calves are fed milk or milk replacers for the early months of their lives. Calves are also offered grain and hay to help with their stomach development.

In accordance with American Humane standards, we care for all of our calves (male or female) in the same manner. This includes a stable and healthy start on milk that is rich with colostrum. They are then taken to a dry, warm, protected environment where they can be closely monitored to make certain that they are getting the proper amount of food and are not showing any signs of illness. After the male calves are stable and well, they are then moved to farms that specialize in raising bulls.

All Clover Dairies sustainably recycle 100% of their manure and incorporate management plans.  Many of our dairies have manure separators that separate the liquids and solids. The liquids are stored in an irrigation pond and applied as fertilizer to pastures and/or crops.  The solids can be composted and used to enhance the soil and capture carbon or dried and used as bedding.

All of the cows that produce Clover milk come from the 30 family-owned and operated farms that we partner with. These farms are scattered about in beautiful Northern California, primarily in Sonoma and Marin Counties.

At this time, we do not offer public tours of our facilities and our family farmers do not offer tours of their independently owned farms. If you’d like to learn more about the relationship we have with our family farmers, please click here. If you’d like to learn more about our facilities as it relates to social and environmental impact, please click here.

Vitamin A is added only to our nonfat, low fat and reduced fat milks, not whole milk. Federal law requires Vitamin A to be added to milk lower in fat than whole milk. This is to replace the Vitamin A removed when fat is separated.

Yes. We add Vitamin D3 to our milk. The reason for this goes back to the early twentieth century, when many children suffered from rickets, a childhood bone disorder caused by not getting enough vitamin D. Scientists discovered that milk’s minerals, like calcium, play a role in bone and teeth development. They also discovered that vitamin D is needed to help calcium get absorbed — and therefore help prevent rickets. It is not mandatory in the US to add Vitamin D to milk.

We source from dairies that have both A1 and A2 cows. A majority of the cows on our family farms are Holsteins, which typically produce a mixture of A1 and A2 milk.

Clover Sonoma is very concerned about maintaining the safety of our dairy products for use by our consumers with allergies. To protect our products from allergens cross-contact, we follow Federal Guidelines and proper good manufacturing practices. Each facility and production line has written protocols for receipt, storage and use of any allergens. All employees that are involved are initially trained and then receive refresher training each year on safe allergen management. For more information about specific products fill out the form here.

Our ultra-pasteurized products are run on shared equipment with Almond and Coconut (tree nuts), but no peanuts. Our other products (Yogurt, Kefir, Sour Cream, Cottage Cheese, Cheese, Butter, and Eggs) may come from facilities that contain peanuts/tree nuts where there could be shared equipment for the manufacturer of allergen and non-allergen products.

All Clover Sonoma products are gluten-free.

All Clover Sonoma products are certified kosher.

All milk is free from genetically modified organisms by definition. Organic milk ensures that all feed consumed by dairy cows does not contain genetically modified DNA. 

While both of our product lines (conventional and organic) adhere to the rigorous standards set by the Clover Promise of Excellence, our organic products must also follow the standards set by USDA Certified Organic. For more information on USDA Certified Organic requirements, please click here.

All Clover Sonoma products are pasteurized, with the exception of our shell eggs.

Our fresh pasteurized milk is heated to at least 161 fahrenheit for at least 15 seconds. Our ultra-pasteurized milk is heated to at least 280 degrees Fahrenheit for 2-5 seconds.

We are proud to offer both fresh pasteurized and ultra-pasteurized (UHT) milk options. On the carton, UHT milk is labeled as “ultra-pasteurized” and fresh pasteurized is labeled simply as “pasteurized”.

Most of our fluid milk products are homogenized to prevent separation. To prevent damage to the fat molecules, our heavy whipping cream is not homogenized.

Like human beings, cows can get sick to a point that antibiotics are required, but this is typically a last resort for most farmers. For conventional herds, if a cow is treated with antibiotics, their systems must be completely cleared of antibiotics before re-entering the milking herd. For organic herds, if an organic cow is treated with antibiotics, she cannot rejoin the organic herd, and typically moves to a conventional herd.

Never. Here at Clover we say no to the bad stuff, and that includes the artificial growth hormone rBST. All of our farms have signed contracts guaranteeing that this hormone will never be used. In fact, in 1994 Clover became the first dairy west of the Mississippi to turn down Monsanto and the synthetic growth hormone rBST. (See Clover Promise of Excellence)

All of our fluid milk products are stamped with a sell-by date. We recommend consuming most dairy products within about a week of opening on or before a sell-by date. Most of our non-fluid milk products are “enjoy-by” or “best-by.”

If you’ve purchased our ultra-pasteurized milk, you may notice that the sell-by date is farther away than you’re used to. Ultra-pasteurized milk has a longer shelf-life (70 days) whereas fresh-pasteurized has a shelf life of less (21 days). To determine if your milk is ultra-pasteurized, check near the top of the milk carton or next to the ingredient panel, which will clearly indicate whether or not the milk is ultra-pasteurized.

This usually happens if the milk reached a temperature above 41 degrees F at some point in its life-cycle. If your milk spoiled within a day or two after purchase, there may have been some mishandling and/or storage practices within the store that caused the milk to reach a temperature beyond 41 degrees F. If you’ve had the milk home for several days, and then it began to spoil, we recommend double-checking that your refrigerator temperature setting is between 34-38 degrees F. We are more than happy to reimburse you for any product that spoils early, we just ask that you fill out our product concern form, which will ask specific questions found on the packaging.

Cheese typically keeps for many months if air is excluded from the surface of the cheese. If the seal of the package is compromised, mold spores and air can get into the package and the mold starts to multiply rapidly. We are more than happy to reimburse you for any cheese that has grown mold or spoiled early, all we ask is that you fill out our product concern form. Please click here, for the form.

Yes, all four of our yogurt lines — Low Fat Traditional, Nonfat Greek, Whole Milk Greek, and Cream on Top have live active cultures.

Our Cream on Top yogurt is non-homogenized, meaning that we don’t blend or mix up the cream, resulting in natural separation where the cream rises to the top!

Whey is a byproduct of the culturing of milk. The addition of yogurt cultures to milk causes the breakdown of milk sugar. The cultured milk then goes through a separation process that removes the whey from the curds.

Greek yogurt goes through an authentic straining process, which separates the yogurt from the whey making a thicker, higher protein yogurt.

European Style butter has a higher percentage of butterfat at approximately 82% butter fat vs. 80% found in traditional butter.

Lactic acid is used to develop flavor and aroma during the butter production process. 

Depending on their nutritional requirements, our hens have slightly different diets. Our egg suppliers work closely with veterinarians and nutritionists to ensure our chickens receive the proper nutrients required.

Our cage free hens have a vegetarian diet that consists of a combination of grain, protein supplements, vitamins and minerals. Our organic cage free hens receive a similar diet, though all ingredients are Organic certified. Both have a diet that is 100% vegetarian.

Our pasture raised hens spend much of their time digging through pasture for grass, bugs, and worms, coupled with a supplemental grain blend to support their active lifestyle.

Yes, our egg suppliers trim beaks to prevent serious injury. To prevent sharpness of the beak hook, an infrared beak tipping process is used when they are one day old.  This does not affect the hen long term.

Eggs should always be refrigerated at 45 degrees Fahrenheit or lower if possible. A cold egg left out at room temperature can sweat, facilitating the growth of bacteria that could contaminate the egg. Refrigerated eggs should not be left out more than two hours. Reducing temperature fluctuation is critical to egg safety.

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Yes. Our eggs come from hens that have access to an indoor cage free aviary system. Our organic cage free flock has access to the outdoors when weather permits. Our free range hens have housing that gives them daytime access to the outdoors (at least 21.8 sq. ft. per hen) and nighttime barn shelter. And of course, our pasture-raised hens have at minimum 108.9 sq. ft. per hen of cage-free living.

We feed our hens a diet that is rich in Omega-3 and flax seed, which is then naturally passed along into their egg production.

Cage Free vs. Organic Cage Free:

Cage free hens live in an indoor cage-free aviary system, whereas our organic cage-free hens have both an indoor aviary system as well as outdoor access when weather permits. Organic cage free hens are also fed a diet that is in compliance with USDA Certified Organic standards.

Organic Cage Free vs. Organic Pasture Raised:

While Organic cage-free hens have both indoor and outdoor access monitored by USDA Certified Organic, Pasture-raised organic hens have that and an additional requirement to have at least 108.9 sq ft. of room per hen. Both consume only USDA Certified Organic feed.

No, our renewable carton is not compostable. It can, however, be recycled as long as your waste hauler accepts it. Every waste hauler has different types of processing equipment as well as end markets for materials. While a majority of US households (61%) have access to carton recycling, there are still a number of waste haulers who are unable to take this material.  A great resource to confirm recycling in your area is the Carton Council website – https://www.recyclecartons.com/. Please always make sure to rinse and dry your recyclables before placing them in the bin!

Yes, our new renewable carton is recyclable, as long as your local waste hauler accepts it. Every waste hauler has different types of processing equipment as well as end markets for materials. While a majority of US households (61%) have access to carton recycling, there are still a number of waste haulers who are unable to take this material. A great resource to confirm recycling in your area is the Carton Council website – https://www.recyclecartons.com/. Please always make sure to rinse and dry your recyclables before placing them in the bin!

Producing one new glass bottle requires an incredible amount of energy and fuel making it a less efficient option than paperboard cartons. Additionally, glass bottles must be returned in order to get multiple uses out of them. Unless a glass bottle is reused 4 – 5 times, it underperforms paperboard cartons. Glass is considerably heavier than paper to transport, requiring more fuel for each trip.

Yes, our yogurt cups, kefir bottles and cottage cheese and sour cream packages cups are considered recyclable. However, the eligibility of recycling these materials depends on your county. We are committed to pursuing packaging improvements that minimize downstream environmental impacts, while maintaining strict food safety standards.

Please always rinse and dry before you recycle, and make sure to attach the lid to the cup!

Yes, our milk cartons are recyclable in most counties. They are not compostable because of the thin plastic liner on the inside and outside of the carton. 

A great resource to confirm recycling in your area is the carton council website https://www.recyclecartons.com/. Please always make sure to rinse and dry your recyclables before placing them in the bin!

Our products can be found at major grocery, natural and independent stores throughout California.  We partner with online retailers like Good Eggs, Instacart, Amazon Fresh and Farmstead Fresh, but do not sell any of our products through our website at this time.  Please visit our “Where To Buy” page.