10 Finns Creamery provides milk to Henning School

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

For many people, milk is milk, and the brand of the carton they open isn’t nearly as important as the color and kind itself. Whether its whole milk, skim, 1 or 2 percent, many students and families may not spend a lot of time looking at the individual brand of the milk they open each day. However, a local milk producer contends not all milk is created equally and they are bringing their milk to the masses at local school district’s throughout the region.

This fall Henning School District joined a number of schools in awarding its school milk bid to 10 Finns Creamery in Menahga, Minn. The bid was not only the lowest one the school district received, but it was also a chance to keep business more local to a family-operated dairy farm.

“I just think it’s so great. We are supporting a neighboring producer,” said Henning School Superintendent Melissa Sparks.

Since awarding the bid, Sparks said the school district has received quite a bit of positive feedback from students who have enjoyed the milk from a more local source. 

“We are pleased with it and encourage kids that haven’t been drinking a lot of milk in the past to give it a try,” said Sparks. 

10 Finns Creamery is operated by Joel and Amanda Hendrickson, who are fifth-generation Finnish dairy farmers in rural Menahga. The dairy farm is operated by their family who began the 10 Finns Creamery operation in 2019. The operation includes the Hendricksons, their children and their niece who operate the farm.

Over the past few years Joel Hendrickson said the family has discussed transforming their business to allow it to provide milk to school districts across the region. After meeting with several superintendents to find out what they really wanted in a milk product, 10 Finns Creamery won the bid for a number of school district’s this fall to provide milk products to students and staff. One of those school district’s was Henning School.

“We wanted to get into them so we just bid on them and we got them,” said Hendrickson. “That was my goal was to try to get some of these local school districts.”

In addition to the Henning School District, 10 Finns Creamery provides milk to Menahga, Sebeka, Wadena-Deer Creek, New York Mills, Staples-Motley, Perham and several other school district’s in northern Minnesota. 

Sparks said one thing that is unique to 10 Finns Creamery is all of the milk and dairy products are processed in rural Menahga, not necessarily from different plants around the region.

“The whole process is done on site,” she said. “When you tell kids this is where your milk comes from, it really is.” 

One unique aspect of the dairy farm is the type of milk produced by their cows. Hendrickson said most dairy cows produce milk containing both A1 and A2 proteins. He said the A1 protein is often the cause of digestive discomfort in many milk drinkers, but the 10 Finns cows produce only A2 protein. 

According to the 10 Finns Creamery website, in the past, cows used to only produce A2 protein milk. However, a natural mutation occurred and cows began producing A1 protein in addition to A2 protein. 

“Our cows produce A2 protein and most other cows produce A1 protein in cows,” said Hendrickson.

In fact, 10 Finns Creamery is Minnesota’s first exclusively A2 herd and creamery in the state. Hendrickson said by producing only A2 proteins the milk has proven to be easier for those with milk sensitivities to enjoy the product.

Sparks, who admitted she didn’t drink milk very often, agreed with Hendrickson after several area school superintendents toured the 10 Finns Creamery a few weeks ago. She tasted the milk and said it was much easier to digest than conventional milk that can be purchased in the store.