written by Lauren Kramer

It takes just one sip of the cow and goat milk at Grace Harbor Farms in Custer to know immediately that all milk is not created equal. The second-generation, family-owned artisan creamery produces cow milk, goat milk, yogurt, kefir and cultured buttermilk on a picturesque farm off Birch Bay Lynden Road. That small-batch production at an independent dairy makes a world of difference to the taste.

“Our milk contains between 4.2 and 4.5 percent butterfat, a full percentage more than what you buy in the store,” said David Lukens, who took over the creamery from his parents in 2020. While cow milk is 90 percent of his sales and goat milk just 10 percent, he’s quickly become the largest supplier of goat milk in the state.

Lukens grew up milking cows and has a deep love and respect for the animals whose milk he pasteurizes. On a sunny October morning, he made his twice-weekly drive to Beanblossom Acres, the goat farm that supplies his goat milk, petting the friendlier members of the ninety-six-strong herd as the morning milking was finishing up. The herd will grow to 150 by spring next year, and with grocers including Whole Foods requesting more of Grace Harbor’s products on their shelves, Lukens knows every gallon is precious.

His products include deliciously rich cow’s milk yogurt in plain, vanilla, honey and lemon flavors, goat kefir and yogurt, buttermilk, cow milk and goat milk. Lukens just launched an eggnog for the Christmas season and is experimenting with a soft, creamy goat milk cheese.

“I wish more people could actually see the animals and the creamery and we could talk about how all milk is not the same,” said Lukens. Grace Harbor’s milk is just vat pasteurized, to eliminate unwanted bacteria. It’s not homogenized or separated, which makes a huge difference to the taste of the end product and its digestibility.

“Most people are so used to drinking skim milk with vitamin D added, a highly processed food,” he noted. “Many of our customers thought they were lactose intolerant until they tried our milk, and realized they’re not!”

“We’re the dairy equivalent of a microbrewer, and we’re proud to be producing creamy, nutrient-dense dairy products that taste nothing like the watery skim milk most Washingtonians know”

2347 BIRCH BAY LYNDEN ROAD
CUSTER
www.graceharborfarms.com