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ALEXANDRIA — Grocery-getters were greeted with a surprise outside of Elden's Fresh Foods Alexandria on Saturday, Sept. 3.
Tulip, an A2 milk-producing Brown Swiss cow along with her owner Joel Hendrickson of Ten Finns Creamery in Menahga and four of his 12 children greeted shoppers outside the grocery store. Milk samples and information pamphlets about their operation and the benefits of A2 milk were provided. Those willing had the opportunity to meet and pet Tulip.
A2 is a type of protein found in cows' milk. Regular milk has both A1 and A2 proteins but the milk-producing cows Hendrickson raises only have A2. The protein is isolated through careful breeding practices and by testing the milk for A1 proteins.
In an earlier Echo Press article, Hendrickson said milk with A2 proteins may be more easily digestible for people with stomach problems. He added that some people with lactose intolerance may not be intolerant at all. They may just be having an adverse reaction from the A1 protein.
Ten Finns Creamery — named after his families Finnish heritage and his 10 children — is Minnesota's first A2 only herd and creamery.
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Hendrickson jokes that they should have named it Ten Plus Finns as he and his wife now have 12 children.
Four of the twelve helped their dad by pouring samples of their milk and flagging down passerbyers with pamphlets of information on the milk. Those who stopped had the option to try either whole, 2% of chocolate milk. The chocolate milk is sweetened with natural cane sugar to avoid using GMOs found in corn starch.
On the pamphlet, it reads that "We created Ten Finns Creamery to teach our little ones the value of honest work and the importance of producing premium, natural and nutritious products that make people feel great."
Ten Finns Creamery's A2 milk is currently available at Elden's Fresh Foods.
