Schulz Shorts: Olivia Sutton, Customer Relationship Manager

How long have you worked at Schulz and what do you do here? 

I joined the team at Schulz Organic Dairy in February this year as the Customer Relationship Manager.

You were one of the original pledgers on Schulz’s Milk in Glass Pozible campaign – what drew you to the campaign?

I love supporting small business, independent farmhouse dairies. These businesses are crucial for maintaining diversity and sustainability in our food system. The milk also tastes significantly better when it comes in glass bottles. There’s something about the purity and freshness that glass preserves, which you just don’t get with plastic. I loved that this campaign helped reduce plastic use. It also brings back childhood memories of my nana bottling milk on weekends on their farm. 

Before joining us at Schulz, you founded Harper & Blohm, the much-loved specialty cheese shop in Brunswick. How did you get into the cheese business?

This is a hard one to pinpoint. My family farm is on King Island, and I spent most of my school holidays there eating lots of cheese. My first job in the cheese industry was with Calendar Cheese Company when it was a young small business, and this is where I first met Simon Schulz! 

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career so far? 

I stand by a company value that I was introduced to early in my cheese career: service, quality, expertise and human touch.  

You currently live in Melbourne, working with our metro customers and making the trip to the country every couple of weeks – what’s the best thing about visiting Timboon?

It’s a little bit of a trip down memory lane as I grew up in Western Victoria. I also leave the city early, so seeing the sunrise in the rear vision mirror is a great start to the day. And seeing my colleagues in person rather than on Zoom! Oh, and lunch and a baked goodie made by Hila at the Cafe on the farm. 

You’re also a bit of a wine and cheese pairing expert! What would you pair with our famous bütten?

A lighter-style red wine from Babche Wines in Timboon. I love the saying “what grows together goes together”.

What keeps you busy outside of work? 

Thinking about what to eat, thinking about where to go shopping for what I'm going to eat and cooking what I'm going to eat.  

What would your last meal be?

Natural oysters, grass-fed scotch fillet steak (medium rare), chips and salad with horseradish + a cheese plate to finish!  

Finally, what is your favourite Schulz product and why (and it doesn’t have to be cheese!)? 

The Schulz Organic Dairy Yogurt. I love the texture and tang, however the best bit is the layer of cream on top!

We're Hiring: Schulz Organic Farm Hand

Farm Hand Position - Timboon, Victoria

The Schulz family has been farming organically and biodynamically for over 50 years. We manufacture our delicious milk right here on the farm and distribute far and wide to our loyal customers. Innovation across the business is something we are proud of as we look to improve our impact on the land and continue providing a premium product to our valued customers. Demand for the Schulz range of product has never been higher. You will play an integral role in the quality of raw milk and the successful operation of the farm.

Set on 1000 acres with native vegetation encompassing approximately 5% with plans for growth, biodiversity is an important part of our future. We are in the process of transitioning many of our pastures to multispecies to have better synergy with the soil and environment together with the nutrition and health of our animals. Our herd is made up of a deliberate mix of Friesians and Jersey’s with a few mixed breeds. We milk between 400-500 cows and currently calve 4 times a year.

Being organic does not just mean being “chemical free”. For us, the whole system is linked – soil, plants, animals, food, people, environment. If you are wanting to contribute to an award winning range of products and leave a legacy within the Schulz farming history we would love to hear from you.

A bit about what will keep your day full

  • High standard of animal husbandry

  • Calving cows and colostrum management

  • Calf rearing including tubing and tagging of calves

  • Identification and treatment of sick animals, including drafting, vaccinations and recording all information accurately

  • Handle sick or injured animals and maintain an optimal environment for the wellbeing of livestock consistent with the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines

  • Implement and monitor quality assurance procedures, ensuring compliance and that all relevant documentation is kept current

  • Rotary milking

  • Feeding out onto a feed pad and into the paddock

  • Fence repairs

  • Water repairs

  • Pasture work including seeding, spraying folios, weed management

  • AI experience (desired)

What we’d love from you

  • High work ethic

  • High communication skills

  • Show initiative

  • Machinery experience

  • To think calmly under pressure

  • Some after hours availability

  • Positive attitude with a growth mindset

  • Team player

  • Experience in the dairy industry

  • Able to follow instructions competently


Our values and culture

  • Family comes first

  • Supporting the person next to you

  • Transparency

  • Honesty

  • Hard Work

  • Resilience

Perks

  • Attractive salary

  • Free premium dairy products

  • Free barista coffees

  • Flexible roster with a five day break each fortnight

  • Career growth

  • Discounted café items

  • Accommodation can be provided

For a confidential chat, please contact Jessica Beer on 0439008720.

To apply for this position please email jobs@schulzorganicdairy.com.au with your CV and a bit about yourself.

Celebrating five years of Schulz Milk in Glass!

We’re thrilled to be celebrating a significant milestone this month – five whole years of Schulz Organic Dairy Milk in Glass! 

We can’t believe this journey started way back in 2017, when we started offering milk in returnable, refillable glass bottles exclusively at Farmers Markets across Victoria. The feedback? You wanted to get your hands on it more than once a week (and maybe closer to home too).

So in 2018, we launched our Pozible crowdfunding campaign, aiming to raise funds to upgrade our farm equipment to accommodate glass bottles – because despite being rewarding, the process wasn’t particularly efficient and more than a little fiddly (take a look at how we used to do it here). 

The outpouring of support from our community was humbling, with almost 1200 people across Australia banding together to get behind our Pozible campaign.

Here’s some very kind words from day dot Milk in Glass lovers:



Back to the way it should be. What a huge undertaking. LEGENDS!”
— Sarah MacDonald




“Pledging again because this is an amazing agenda – only as a community can make this kinda change work – and I want to help make that change.”
— Elise Dartnell




“Woohoo! I've been buying Schulz Milk for a long time. The milk is awesome, will be even better without plastic. Excited to be part of this initiative to reduce waste. Well done Schulz team!”
— Sarah Dyer




With your support, we raised over $106,000, enabling us to actually deliver 5,000 glass bottles of organic milk per week to our suppliers – rather than our initial target of 3,000 per week! 

In 2019 we finally launched into a range of fantastic retailers across Victoria, and in this first year, prevented 7.6 tonnes of plastic from entering landfill. Since then, your support has helped the Schulz Milk in Glass initiative save a huge 44 tonnes of plastic – that’s the same weight as a humpback whale! 

Plus in 2023, we cracked a massive one million bottles sold! 

We also continue to see the commitment of our wonderful customers through sales and returns, and although Covid-19 did see a drop in the rate of returns, we’re happy to say it continues to rise, with a phenomenal average return rate of 89% over the past 12 months. A quick reminder – our job on the other end is made much easier if your bottles are returned ‘naked’ (e.g. no lids, rings or labels) to your favourite retailer – click here for more information and FAQs.

We trialled a number of lid options as part of our research, from peel-back to solid aluminium and even steel! For now, our current plastic lids came out on top the best option.

Although all our bottle lids are made from recyclable plastic, many local councils across Australia do not accept them in home recycling.

So, we recommend checking with your council before putting our bottle lids in your recycling bin. Can’t recycle them in your area? You’ve got options. 

  1. Save them up and return them to be recycled at Alphington, Eltham and Coburg Farmers Markets.

  2. Remember that one of the best ways to make change in your area is to get talking! Contact your local council to start the conversation about expanding recycling options – and ask your friends, family and neighbours to do the same.

  3. Pass them onto an organisation doing good stuff with plastic! We’ve worked with the teams at Rethink Recycling and Lids4Kids.

If you know of a great organisation near you who upcycles lids, we’d love to hear from you!

The success of Milk in Glass simply could not have been achieved without all of you: the stockists, original Pozible pledgers, regular bottle filler-uppers and all the team at Schulz Organic Dairy. We appreciate every drop of effort you have put in to help spread the word!

So what’s next? The recent installation of new bottling machinery in the factory means a big bump in efficiency for us – which means more Milk in Glass heading out to our retailers!

We’re also continuing to explore options for improving the manufacturing and integrity of our glass bottles, together with new and innovative closure alternatives.

Want to stay in the loop about everything Milk in Glass? Sign up to our Moosletter here.

Our favourite ways to enjoy Hot Cross Buns this Easter!

The Hot Cross Bun is a treasured Easter tradition, and we love to be able to share it with you each year.

Our pastry chef Hila makes her Hot Cross Buns using our housemade sourdough culture, which gives the buns a little more density and amazing depth of flavour.

She adds fresh Schulz Organic Milk and Butter, as well as plump sultanas, raisins and currants, candied citrus peel and even whole oranges (cooked and blitzed for maximum zesty goodness), and finally her own blend of classic Easter spices. The Creamery and Cafe has never smelt so good!

So what’s the best way to enjoy Hila’s Hot Cross Buns? Fresh out the oven, of course! In the Cafe, we love to serve them with a generous helping of Schulz Cultured Butter (and maybe a Market Lane coffee too).

We also love to enjoy the buns with a smear of original Schulz Quark and a drizzle of honey, creating the perfect balance between savoury and sweet in each bite. Another indulgent option is to toast your buns and fill with a scoop of your favourite ice cream (we’ll be reaching for Timboon Fine Ice Cream) – a fun and delicious option that the kids can help with too!

Leftover buns? Use them in a twist on Hila’s Bread and Butter Pudding. Normally made with leftover bread, brioche or croissants, add hot cross buns instead for a festive take on this classic dessert – and it helps reduce food waste too!

A very limited number of Hila’s Hot Cross Buns will be available in the Cafe over the Easter long weekend. Snagged a pack in the pre-orders? Make sure you head in and pick yours up to enjoy with the family (and maybe some organic butter on your way through).

Happy Easter and we look forward to welcoming you in Timboon soon!

We've sold one million Milk in Glass bottles!

To our amazing Schulz supporters,

We’ve just hit one million Schulz Organic Milk in Glass bottles sold across Victoria! 

When we began this project in 2017, we could have never anticipated the level of support from our community – to our farmers market regulars, Creamery and Cafe locals and milk lovers from Timboon to Torquay, we’re humbled by every glass bottle you’ve chosen to purchase.

The Milk in Glass initiative has now saved over 40 tonnes of plastic, and we are so thankful to you for helping make that happen.

To celebrate, we’re launching a competition to give one lucky Schulz customer the opportunity to win a year’s supply of our Milk in Glass! You can find all the details below.

But our work's not done yet – over the next year, we are also undertaking significant upgrades to our machinery and processes in the factory, so we hope to hit our next million bottles in a much shorter time frame.

So to all who have supported us and our Milk in Glass over the last four years, we're raising a glass (of milk) to you today. 

Cheers!

Simon Schulz and the Schulz team


Win a year’s supply of organic milk!

Simply purchase a bottle of Milk in Glass between November 23 and December 15 and look out for the sticker – or handwritten note from Simon Schulz – underneath the label for your chance to win.

We’re also giving away five Schulz Organic Dairy merchandise and product prize packs to some lucky runners-up!

Full Terms and Conditions available here.

Join the Schulz Organic Dairy Team: Herd Manager

Herd Manager

The Schulz family has been farming organically and biodynamically for over 50 years. We manufacture our delicious milk right here on the farm and distribute far and wide to our loyal customers. Innovation across the business is something we are proud of as we look to improve our impact on the land and continue providing a premium product to our valued customers. Demand for the Schulz range of product has never been higher. Animal health and management are at the forefront of this success – your role in taking this to the next level will be critical and you will form an integral part of the senior management team.

Set on 1000 acres with native vegetation encompassing approximately 5% (with plans for growth), biodiversity is an important part of our future. We are in the process of transitioning many of our pastures to multi-species, to achieve better synergy with the soil and environment, together with the nutrition and health of our animals. Our herd is made up of a deliberate mix of Friesians and Jerseys with a few mixed breeds. We milk between 400-500 cows and currently calve four times a year.

Being organic does not just mean being ‘chemical free’. For us, the whole system is linked – soil, plants, animals, food, people, environment. If you want to contribute to an award-winning range of products and leave a legacy within the Schulz farming history, we would love to hear from you.

A bit about what will keep your day full

  • High standard of animal husbandry

  • Calving cows and colostrum management

  • Calf rearing including tubing and tagging of calves

  • Overseeing breeding and genetic management program

  • Identification and treatment of sick animals, including drafting, vaccinations and recording all information accurately

  • Supervise animal health programs, handle sick or injured animals and maintain an optimal environment for the wellbeing of livestock consistent with the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines

  • Implement and monitor quality assurance procedures, ensuring compliance and that all relevant documentation is kept current

  • Data entry on dairy management software

  • Rotary milking if required

  • Staff supervision and training

  • AI experience (desired)

What we’d love from you

  • Management experience

  • Implementing new systems and processes

  • High communication skills

  • Show initiative

  • To think calmly under pressure

  • High work ethic

  • Some after hours availability

  • Positive attitude with a growth mindset

  • Team player

 

Our values and culture

  • Family comes first

  • Supporting the person next to you

  • Transparency

  • Honesty

  • Hard working

  • Resilience

 

Perks

  • Attractive salary

  • Free premium dairy products

  • Free barista coffees

  • Flexible roster

  • Career growth

  • Discounted café items

  • Accommodation can be provided

 

 

For a confidential chat please contact Jessica Beer on 0439008720.

To apply for this position, please email jobs@schulzorganicdairy.com.au with your CV and a bit about yourself!