We're Sustainability Award Finalists!

We’re finalists! We are proud to announce that we have been nominated as a finalist in the Innovative Products or Services category of the Premier’s Sustainability Awards 2020 for our Milk In Glass Bottles initiative. The Innovative Products or Services Award category recognises outstanding innovation in products or services that contribute to sustainable outcomes over the past year. Now in its 18th year, the Premier’s Sustainability Awards are Victoria’s most highly recognised annual sustainability awards program comprising 10 categories.

When we kicked off our Milk In Glass initiative, our main goal was to put a dent in the amount of plastic packaging we use. We now deliver over 5000 reusable glass bottles of organic milk weekly, to over 50 retailers Victoria-wide, with a return rate of 95% of bottles refilled and reissued. The initiative has averted 10,068kg of plastic bottles from landfill, as of May 2020 – incredible! This recognition would not be possible without the help of all of our pledgers, Pozible supporters, Contain Design Studio and Swear Words for designing the bottle, loyal Milk In Glass customers and Milk In Glass retailers out there - we wouldn't be here without you and we salute you! 

The Victorian Premier’s Sustainability awards are a fantastic way to raise awareness of and celebrate Victorian groups, organisations and businesses who are leading the way to a more sustainable future, and we’re proud to be a part of it.​ Wish us luck for the announcement of the winners on Wednesday the 16th of December!

YOUNG ORGANIC LEADER OF THE YEAR, THATS OUR BOSS. CONGRATULATIONS SIMON.

We are proud to announce that on November 15th, Simon Schulz was awarded the Young Organic Leader award, by the Australian Organic Industry. The Awards celebrated outstanding and innovative contributions made by members of the organic industry over the past year. Simon's achievement has left all of us at Schulz feeling very humbled, making us reflect upon the last year. A lot has happened and we couldn't have done it without the leadership of Simon, the overwhelming community support and Australia's continuous demand for local organic food.

Simon believes community and teamwork really are the key to great leadership. As Dairy Farmers, we are so lucky to have a network of ethically minded people from like-minded producers to consumers, that provide constant encouragement, support and most importantly, demand for a more sustainable alternative. As leaders in the industry, the expectation of our community to simply do better has kept us accountable and pushed us to make changes.

One of those changes has been the launch of Milk in Returnable Glass and Stainless Pails. We saw a common desire that existed between our business and the community, a desire to reduce our footprint. After seeing how the industry had met these demands internationally, we relied on the feedback and opinions of our community to understand how this system could work in Australia. After the launch of Milk in Glass, Simon continued to communicate and visit different customers weekly, keeping close relationships with long term customers. It was this process that has helped the development of Milk in Glass and will continue to bring improvements to the system.

Simon aims are to inspire others to enter or remain within an industry that has a great deal of potential in local and domestic markets. And the great thing about inspiration is that starting small can give you a glimpse of what is possible. With Australia’s help, we can support Organic Farmers to survive and thrive.

It is our hope that this award will bolster Simon’s message that entrepreneurs can thrive anywhere and that it’s time Agriculture received the attention it deserves.