Pladot Mini Dairy



Governor Gilmore Announces Opening Of Shenville Creamery And Garden Market
May 24, 2001
Contact: Amber DuMont, 804/371-8332

Governor Gilmore announced today the opening of Shenville Creamery and Garden Market in Timberville, an innovative agribusiness enterprise. "I am pleased to highlight the efforts of Leon and Ida Heatwole; they epitomize the efforts of Virginia's small farmers who blend new technology, new marketing strategies and agritourism to survive and prosper in today's economy," said Governor Gilmore.
Shenville Creamery and Garden Market is an expansion and addition to Leon and Ida Heatwole's 200 acre dairy farm in Timberville, VA. The Heatwoles invested over $1.5 million to establish 15,000 square feet of operating space for their state-of-the-art milk processing facility and garden market. Divided into two buildings, the creamery and garden market share a patio and picnic area for customers to enjoy. Currently the business employs 25 people, an addition of 15 new employees hired to manage the growing duties of running the farm, creamery and garden market.
At the heart of the creamery is the Pladot Mini-Dairy, a modular, Iraeli-made milk processing system, that makes on-farm milk processing a reality. The Pladot pasteurizer, cream separator and cheese-curding tank are made specifically for small-scale, on-farm processing and can handle milk from 30 - 300 cows. Leon and Ida spent a week in Israel to learn how to operate the equipment and make simple, soft, fresh cheeses.
The Heatwoles currently milk 125 Holstein cows. They send 35% of their milk production to the on-farm creamery and have value added to it. The remaining 65% of the milk goes through normal channels. While the on-farm creamery has the capacity to handle all the milk produced, the creamery only processes enough milk to meet the needs of their growing sales. In the future, the Heatwoles expect to process all of the milk their cows produce at the on-farm creamery.
The Heatwoles add value to their product by producing several kinds of fluid milk (whole, low fat, skim, homogenized, un-homogenized, flavored), cream cheese, butter, cheese, yogurt, dairy dips and ice cream. Visitors to the farm buy, and often consume the products right there on the farm at conveniently placed picnic tables.
The creamery and garden market sell more than just a product; they offer consumers a unique, on-farm purchasing adventure. Leon and Ida provide an observation deck above the creamery where customers can watch milk processed and made into a variety of dairy products. Over fifty acres are dedicated to raising fresh produce, harvested daily during season for sale at the garden market. Products include asparagus, strawberries, sweet corn, green beans, tomatoes, pumpkins and more. Seasonal tours and up-close looks at farm animals educate visitors and make them feel like a part of the family.
"Shenville Creamery and Garden Market truly represents the very best Virginia Agriculture has to offer, with farm-fresh, wholesome food combined with 21st century technology, forward thinking, hard work and determination to succeed," said Governor Gilmore.