Smith's Creamery products headed back to grocery shelf

Smith's Creamery products are headed back to a grocer's shelf near you.

Warren Smith (left) and Jeff Kleinpeter
talk with a reporter at today's press
conference announcing their agreement.
(Photo from Today in Louisiana Agriculture)

In a bylined story appearing on theadvocate.com of Baton Rouge, business writer Skip Descant reports that Kleinpeter Farms Dairy will begin packaging and distributing milk products from Mount Hermon's Smith Creamery. Smith Creamery, a family owned and operated dairy like Kleinpeter, suffered a crippling explosion and fire in the early morning hours of June 22.

Jeff Kleinpeter, president of Kleinpeter Farms, and Warren Smith, owner of Smith Creamery, announced the agreement in a joint news conference today.

The news was greeted with joy and words of praise for Kleinpeter on the Friends of Smith Creamery Facebook page.

Erica Staton: "God bless them. I didn't know how much I would miss it."

Lauren Bierbaum: "This makes me glad that I've been drinking Kleinpeter milk in the meantime.”

Melinda Flynn McWhorter: "Just read this on Nola.com - brought me to tears."

Sandra Painter: "That is fantastic news!!!"

Mike Sharp: "That is so awsome!!!!!!"

Kleinpeter said he made the offer to Smith in an effort to get the family business back on its feet.

"We are some kind of excited to be doing this for a Louisiana family," Kleinpeter said.

Kleinpeter will package Smith's whole and fat-free milk as well as half-and-half cream and heavy cream. The Smith milk will continue to be processed just as it has always been — with pasteurization, but not homogenization. The products were to be loaded onto trucks this afternoon for distribution to all 50 stores that carried the Smith's line before the explosion. Products will be available beginning Tuesday.

That means Smith's chocolate milk, salted and unsalted butter and Creole cream cheese will remain unavailable or the present time.

Kleinpeter said there was no time line on the agreement.

“We’re very appreciative,” Warren Smith, owner of Smith Creamery said in a statement. “We know they don’t have to do this. They’ve given us hope.”

Smith Creamery has been in operation for 42 years and, like Kleinpeter, are one of the few remaining family-owned and operated dairies in the state.

The state fire marshall's office said a leaking propane tank was the cause behind the explosion that destroyed the 5,000-square-foot main building.

Fire Marshall: Leaking propane tank likely cause of early morning Smith Creamery explosion

Damage at Mt. Hermon's
Smith Creamery
(Daylife photo)

MT. HERMON — Smith Creamery, a family owned business with a large following, was destroyed by an explosion about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday that the State Fire Marshall said Wednesday night he believes was caused by a leaking propane tank. No one was injured in the explosion.

Owner Warren Smith told WDSU-TV he heard an explosion and ran out to see three transformers sparking. He said he is "heartbroken." The dairy has a large customer base on the Northshore, in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Smith said he hopes his customers understand that his business will be offline for a while, but he plans to work to get the dairy back on its feet. The dairy is located on Mt. Pisgah Road, north of Highway 38 and east of Mt. Hermon.

Smith Creamery’s products were in great demand and available in a number of locations in New Orleans, including Whole Foods and the Crescent City Farmer’s Market. The dairy also has a large following in the Baton Rouge market.

The Smiths have been in the dairy business 42 years and are one of the few family-owned and operated dairies left in the state. Their milk is slow-pasteurized, not homogenized, so the cream still rises to the top. Additionally, the milk comes from grass fed cows, which means a more natural product for consumers.

In the early 2000’s, the Smiths had worked to expand their business so as to be able to keep up with demand and, in 2004, was granted a loan of $99,963 through the USDA-funded Washington Parish Revolving Loan Fund.

The Smiths met their loan obligations and continued to grow their business, battling through myriad problems created by Hurricane Katrina.

The early morning explosion inside the 5,000-square-foot building scattered debris more than a quarter-mile away.