Sugar River Dairy Yogurt

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the Green County area. We are home to many artisan and small businesses. I thought it would be interesting to feature some of these businesses in the upcoming weeks.

Sugar River Dairy is an artisan business located in the hills outside of Albany. Named for the Sugar River that meanders through the area, Sugar River Dairy focuses on making just a couple of things and doing them extremely well - yogurt and their new line of sour cream.

Owners Ron and Chris Paris are one of only three artisan, homestead yogurt makers in Wisconsin. They focus on small batch, non-homogenized yogurt created with milk from local cows. The cows eat grass in pastures, and they live their lives without the synthetic growth hormone rBGH.

Ron and Chris create Sugar River Dairy yogurt without additives, stabilizers or high fructose corn syrup. What they do use are high quality, natural ingredients. Natural vanilla. Live acidophilus cultures. Organic cane sugar. Berries. Peaches.

I first tried Sugar River Dairy yogurt a few years ago, and I have not bought any other kind of yogurt since. It is like no other yogurt I have tasted - smooth, creamy and rich with just the right amount of tang.

Ron and Chris offer plain and vanilla yogurt as well as raspberry, blueberry, peach and strawberry. The fruit flavors are only in 6 oz cups, and the vanilla and plain are offered in larger 24 oz containers. Locally, you can purchase them at Brennans or Piggly Wiggly. Sugar River Dairy yogurt is also available in Madison at Whole Foods, Willy St Coop, the Westside Community Market and more. The new line of sour cream is a little harder to find.

You can also tour Sugar River Dairy to see how they do things. Just call ahead (608-938-1218) because they do take two days a week to do their deliveries.