AN independent family dairy that started as a door-to-door milk delivery service with a bucket and ladle is celebrating 25 years of supplying fresh milk to schools and nurseries through Cool Milk.

Cotteswold Dairy supplies fresh milk deliveries for hundreds of schools and nurseries as part of its partnership with Cool Milk, supporting the Nursery Milk Scheme, which offers free milk to all children aged under five.

Cool Milk is the UK’s leading school milk provider, connecting childcare settings with local dairies and handling the reimbursement and administration process on behalf of each school and nursery.

Cool Milk have confirmed that there are 15 schools and nurseries that Cotteswold Dairy supplies throughout the greater Ross-on-Wye area.

Founded by Harry Workman in 1938, Cotteswold Dairy began as a 30-gallon-per-day milk round by one man, offering door-to-door service with a bucket and ladle before upscaling to become one of the largest independent family dairies across England and Wales.

The dairy operates four depots across England and Wales, located in Cheltenham, Shropshire, North Wales and Herefordshire.

Through its 25-year partnership with Cool Milk, Cotteswold Dairy is helping schools and nurseries make drinking milk part of the everyday experience for young children.

For the dairy, its involvement goes beyond simply delivering milk. Its relationships with schools and nurseries also provide opportunities to help children understand where milk comes from, how it is produced and the role dairy can play in their diet.

Cotteswold Dairy marketing manager Danny Wright said: “It is an extremely valuable service which provides nutritional, public health, financial and economic value, and educational benefits for young people.

“Supplying milk for Cool Milk customers enables us to have contact with the local schools and those in the surrounding area. We are responsible for the delivery service of our milk product so we want to provide that to the highest levels.”