For us, sustainability is more than a trendy catch phrase; it’s been the foundation of our Willamette Valley family business for four generations. Since 1941, when Howard and Gladys Gibson started farming near Junction City, Oregon, we’ve been passionately dedicated to our land and animals. Our family has invested substantial time and money in our farming practices and stewardship of our land. We are committed to a sustainable system that keeps the entire product lifecycle close to home, ensuring quality and freshness.
We take pride in being at the forefront of sustainability practices.
At Dari Mart:
- Solar panels on some of our store roofs produce electricity.
- We are currently converting our lighting to LED bulbs.
- In January 2010, Dari Mart stores began offering “grab•n go green” reusable bags at all of our stores to decrease the number of plastic bags in the world. We are the first convenience store in Oregon to do so. By switching to re-usable and paper bags, we’ll eliminate the circulation of 1.4 million plastic bags annually.
- We replaced the lights in our coolers with more energy efficient LED bulbs.
- We replaced the door seals on our coolers to keep the cold air in and the warm air out.
- We brought back our “comeback cups” to encourage you to reduce, reuse and refill.
At Lochmead Farms:
- Our farm’s active methane digester produces electricity for 200 houses a year.
- The farm grows 45% of its own feed while the remaining 55% comes from Oregon farms.
At Lochmead Farms Dairy:
- We purchase all natural ingredients locally for our delicious, premium ice cream whenever possible.
- We use hazelnuts and peppermint from our farm in our ice cream, and are using blueberries as well.
- Our milk goes from cow to customer within 48 hours. It travels only four miles from the farm to the dairy and is sold within a 60-mile radius of the dairy farm. This makes us the most carbon footprint-friendly dairy in Oregon!
- We raise 80% of our cows’ feed right here on the farm. That means fewer trucks on the road.
- We do not, and have never used the artificial growth hormone, rBST, on our cows. We use good nutrition and high quality health care to keep our cows healthy. Healthy cows = healthy milk.
- Peppermint oil used to make our Lochmead Farms Oregon Mint Fudge ice cream is grown on our farm and distilled at our facility.
- Hazelnuts grown on the farm are used to make our Oregon Hazelnut Fudge ice cream.
- Cooked peppermint straw and dried cow manure are combined to produce a nutrient-rich compost fertilizer for a local landscaper.
- Uncle Buzz, who runs the dairy, is working to install a methane digester. This anaerobic digester will convert methane, produced from the manure, into enough electricity to power about 200 homes in Lane County. This will significantly reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from our farm.
At Lochmead Farms and Dari Mart stores, our passion for sustainability extends beyond the farm and business and into our community, where we employ 500 people in Lane, Linn and Benton counties.
Over the years, we’ve made generous donations to the Children’s Miracle Network and have been active in Relay for Life, raising over $80,000 in 2009. And we regularly support our local communities through donations of our fresh milk, juices and ice cream.
Back when Howard and Gladys started their family farm, they set out to make a living and a way of life. And we’re proud to build on that legacy through our enduring commitment to family, community and sustainability.
– The Gibson Family