TIME AND TEMPERATURE
A lot of hard work and careful thought goes into the milk that we use for our bottled milk, ice cream and dairy products. At Braum's, we care about our customers and we want them to have the freshest, most wholesome and best tasting products around! That's why we milk our cows seven days a week, 24 hours a day!

Most other dairy companies don't own their own dairy herd. They purchase their raw milk from outside sources, so it can be several days old before it's delivered and ready for processing! Not at Braum's! We own our own dairy herd and milk our own cows on our Tuttle Farm. Our milk barn and dairy herd are located only minutes away from our processing plant also located at the farm. The raw milk is delivered in huge tanker trucks to the processing plant several times throughout each day.

Keeping milk at the proper temperature is very important because it's the temperature of milk that determines whether or not it will be fresh.

At Braum's, we make sure that our milk is kept between 34-38 degrees all the time. As the Braum's cows are milked, the fresh milk is instantly cooled as it flows through a plate cooler and a set of filters into giant holding tanks. Several times a day, Braum's tanker trucks can be seen delivering loads of about 100,000 pounds of fresh milk to huge refrigerated silo tanks which are located minutes away at the Braum's Dairy Processing Plant. These milk tankers deliver about 4-5 loads of fresh milk a day.

BRAUM'S MILK BARN (MILKING PARLOR)
At Braum's we don't milk our cows by hand, our milking is done with machines by carefully-trained milkers. Not only does it help us milk faster, but it also means that the milk will never be touched by human hands.

At Braum's, we milk 10,000 cows, three times a day, seven days a week. Our new milk barn is the largest of its kind in the world. And it's the only milk barn that's both heated and air-conditioned for the comfort of cows and milkers alike! We can milk 800 cows in only 32 minutes producing about 30,000 pounds of milk an hour. Each Braum's cow gives about 7 gallons of milk (about 60 pounds) each day - that's enough to fill over 100 glasses.

The cows are taken one barn at a time (800 cows) from the freestall barns to the milk barn. The milk barn accommodates 400 cows at a time (8 rows of 50 each). Four hundred cows go directly into the milking parlor while 400 wait outside. In each row of 50, the front 25 cows are milked by state-of-the-art automated milking equipment while the remaining 25 are being prepared. Before entering both the barn and the milk parlor, each cow goes through a wash system that cleans them. This involves washing her udder and teats prior to milking. (Milk is made and stored in the cows udder which is located under her belly.) Then she is connected to the milking machine by fitting four cups onto her teats. This sounds uncomfortable but this process doesn't bother the cow at all!

BUTTERFAT (MILKFAT) & CREAM
Milk is made up of mostly water, butterfat and milk solids (nutrients). Milk is described in terms of butterfat. The percentage of butterfat present in the milk determines what type of milk it is. For example, whole milk is 3.3% butterfat, Reduced Fat is 2% butterfat, Lowfat is 1% butterfat and Fat Free has no butterfat. PASTEURIZATION The process of pasteurization was invented by French chemist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), who discovered that raw milk (or milk right out of the cow) contains germs that can cause illness in humans. Fortunately, he found that heating the milk, or "pasteurizing" it cleaned it, made it safe to drink and kept it fresh longer.

In the United States, Federal Law requires the pasteurization of milk. The Federal Government has set the legal pasteurization time and temperature as 161.5 degrees for 15 seconds. At Braum's, we heat our milk well above these standards and for a longer period of time to assure that it is clean, free of bacteria and of the highest quality. After milk is pasteurized, it's cooled back down again, and is then homogenized.

DAIRY PROCESSING PLANT
At the Dairy Processing Plant, we produce milk and make dairy products like ice cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, and sour cream. Braum's 260,000 square foot processing plant features the most modern, up-to-date equipment available.

From the huge refrigerated silo tanks, the raw milk flows through stainless steel pipes into the processing room where it is pasteurized, standardized, homogenized, and vacuum processed. The entire process, from the time the cow is milked to the time it's delivered to the store usually takes about 24 hours. Now, that's fresh!

QUALITY LAB
To further ensure freshness and quality, samples of milk are tested during various stages of processing in Braum's Quality Control Laboratory located inside the plant. Here, the milk is tested for many things including flavor, color, bacteria, and odor.

MILK'S NUTRIENT PACKAGE
Milk is so good for you because it's packed with nine vitamins and minerals: calcium, protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B-12, potassium, phosphorus, niacin, and riboflavin. These nutrients play an important part of a healthy diet. For example, your body uses calcium to keep your bones strong, for muscles to contract, and your heart to beat. Your body needs Vitamin A to help maintain normal vision; Vitamin D to help absorb calcium; Potassium to maintain normal blood pressure. The nutrients found in milk help your body in many ways in addition to maintaining strong teeth and bones.