Stewart’s Shops has been deemed to have
the best milk in New York state, earning a
perfect score for a second time from Cornell
University’s Department of Food Science.
The announcement was officially made at
the New York State Fair during its Dairy Day
events in August.
The award is part of Cornell’s New York State
Milk Quality Improvement Program. Since
Cornell first began its awards program in 1997,
there have only been four perfect scores from
eligible plants, two of which have now been
earned by Stewart’s Shops, the company said.
The other perfect score was awarded in
2007. Stewart’s milk also took first place in
2005 and 2008.
Stewart’s Shops processes fresh, quality milk at its dairy in Greenfield Center. Company officials said the milk is produced by more than 30 local dairy farmers from Saratoga, Rensselaer, and Washington counties, and is on Stewart’s store shelves within 48 hours of leaving the farm.
“As a family and employee-owned company, we all take pride in an award like this,” said Stewart’s President Gary Dake, “We care for our milk every step of the way. From our local farms to our own dairy, everyone strives to provide our customers fresh, high quality milk that we can now say is the best in the state.”
The university collected samples from New York state plants between July 2012 and July 2013, according to Stewart’s. The samples of whole milk, 2 percent, 1 percent, and skim milk were scored on criteria ranging from bacteria counts, flavor, and butterfat content.
Founded in 1945, Stewart’s Shops is an employee and family-owned convenience store chain based in Saratoga Springs. Today there are 330 Stewart’s Shops located in over 30 counties across upstate New York and southern Vermont.