Straus Family Creamery: Electricity from Cows

There's only one kind of ice cream we buy anymore: Straus Family Creamery Organic Coffee Ice Cream. Sure, we like that it's local and organic -- but that's not really why we buy it. We buy it because it's like coffee ice cream on steroids ... it's like coffee ice cream but better than any other coffee ice cream you've ever dreamed of.

So when we were having a bite (just one bite) this morning at 9am, we noticed this on the label: "Our cows are helping generate electricity!"

We were naturally curious ...

So, yes, Straus Family Creamery is even awesomer than we first suspected. Not only do they produce the best milk and ice cream we've ever tasted, they also run a methane digester that turns their cow manure into electricity (and eliminates the dairy's methane -- a greenhouse gas) . It sounds smelly and fascinating.

The methane digester produces 300,000 kilowatt-hours per year -- about $40,000 worth of electricity. It's enough to run about 95% of their dairy and charge their electric car every night. All of this information, if possible, makes the eating of our coffee ice cream even more enjoyable.

If you're wondering about how a methane digester works, you can read all about it here.

Comments (3)

I thinks that's so cool. I have never heard about any business being so self-contained like that with energy production and consumption. Very cool, indeed.

posted by aftermath on October 28th 2008 at 12:53pm
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their system was on mythbusters recently. the young scientist special. it was really fun to see everyone making methane-fueled lawnmowers and getting down and dirty.

posted by Joan in SB on October 28th 2008 at 1:54pm
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I just visited San Francisco for the first time this past week. I would gain weight if I lived there. Specifically, Bi-Rite has the most AMAZING ice cream ever, and they're getting their milk from Strauss as well. I went there twice in one week. And to Tartine down the street three times.

posted by tarah on October 28th 2008 at 4:43pm
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