One of the few good things to come from the pandemic was the renaissance of the local milkman.
Back in the 1970s and 80s the milkman was a normal part of daily life. But in the 90s supermarkets started selling milk in cartons for less than it cost to have it left on your doorstep. Sadly, by the 2000s that became the normal way to buy milk, and by 2020 deliveries accounted for just 5% of UK milk sales.
However, during the first lockdown local milk deliveries rose from around 527,000 customers to over 700,000 – and the move towards more sustainable, eco-friendly living has made local milk deliveries end-vogue once again!
With that in mind, these are five big advantages when buying from your local milkman.
1. Keeps alive a great British tradition
If you grew up in the seventies, eighties or nineties you’ll likely remember with some fondness that feeling of opening your front door and seeing a fresh bottle of milk, condensation dripping down the side, waiting for your morning brekkie. Maybe you even got chocolate milk or juice delivered that way too!
One of the big benefits to supporting your local milkman is the chance to bring back that nostalgic feeling. But that’s certainly not the only reason why you should support your local milkman…
2. More environmentally friendly
Perhaps the most universally positive benefit for supporting your local milkman is that it’s better for the planet.
The vast majority of milk sold in supermarkets comes in plastic bottles with coloured lids. And while these are recyclable, a great deal of the UK’s packaging plastic (including those milk bottles) still goes to landfill. Plastic milk bottles simply aren’t great for the environment, no matter how much people are encouraged to place them in their council-collected recycling bins.
By contrast, milk ordered from your local milkman comes in a foil-topped glass bottle that you can place back on your doorstep for collection and reuse the very next day. Local milk floats also tend to be electric powered, so they’re far better than typical supermarket delivery vans in terms of carbon footprint. Whichever way you look at it, then, supporting your local milkman makes sense if you care about sustainability.
3. Highly convenient (and not just for dairy drinkers!)
We’ve all had that morning where you pour your cereal, then open the fridge… and find you’re out of milk. Cue an unwanted trek to the nearest corner shop to buy milk at a premium. Not a great way to start your day!
Milk delivered to your door is just far more convenient. But what if you’re not a dairy drinker?
Well, many local milkman services nowadays also supply different types of non-dairy milk like oat and soya, plus a selection of your other favourite groceries like cheese, custard, spreads, yogurts bacon, eggs, fruit and veg boxes, juice, pastries, bread and even alcoholic drinks!
Even if you don’t drink cow’s milk, then, there are many ways to support your local milkman with the kinds of produce you order. What might you go for?
4. Better for your local community
More good news – all those ways you can help your local milkman also have the added bonus of helping your local community!
First, because by buying local, you’re keeping your money in your local area – which helps local farmers, local packing plants, and more besides.
Secondly, because you are helping local businesses, you’re also helping to create local jobs! Which of course helps to form a virtuous circle where that local money gets reinvested into the places and people that matter to you and your life.
5. Fresher produce – that lasts even longer with Milk Topz!
Our last reason why you should support your local milkman is that the produce you get left on your door each morning is simply fresher than anything you could buy in the supermarket. And because it’s fresher, it lasts longer – which helps to offset the slightly higher cost of buying from a delivery service.
Better still, our specially designed Milk Topz bottle toppers can keep your bottled milk or juice fresher for even longer still! And thanks to their design, they also remove the one downside of glass milk bottles – the fact they aren’t resealable.
Because Milk Topz create an air and water-tight seal, you can move your milkman-delivered milk bottles around your fridge, place them on their side… even store them upside down if you feel like it! All while keeping out the smells from the rest of your fridge, and maintaining that delivered-on-the-day freshness for as long as possible.
Get Milk Topz today and support your local milkman
Have we convinced you about the benefits to supporting your local milkman? Then find your nearest milk delivery service and grab your Milk Topz bottle caps in time for your first delivery!
