He Said: Danzeisen Dairy should become a household name

As we continue to explore the Phoenix metro area and discover great new places for you to eat and experience, we noticed something: Lots of locals are working together and supporting each other.

From restaurants to hotels and everything in between, we all seem to support each other in this community. It is this sense of community that is, in part, fueling this great foodie economy and opening up opportunities everywhere you look.

A few months ago, we fell in love with Scooptacular and, during our visit to explore all their wonderful flavors, we learned that there is a connection with Danzeisen Dairy.

It makes sense — they are not far from each other in the Laveen area and we all know we need great milk for great ice cream.

But who knew we had a top-notch, local, family-owned dairy 10 miles from downtown Phoenix?

We set up a visit to their dairy and learned what it takes to make those cold glass bottles filled with incredibly tasty milk.

The first time I ever noticed the glass jugs was while standing in line at the grocery store. The lady ahead of me was returning her jugs for the deposit back.

It had been a long time since I saw someone return glass jugs. Maybe it was the surprised look on my face, but she immediately started telling me how amazing the milk was and that, “it will be the best milk you have ever had.”

It is hard to resist when you have someone you don’t know getting super excited about something that seems so every day.

The dairy follows a family principal that, if the cows are happy, you are guaranteed to have a better product and ensure your customers are happy. That type of business model is proving to be popular with consumers and is driving an almost cult-like following.

In our tour, we learned how the dairy itself works and one interesting point is that the machines they use date back to the 1950s. Those machines are also part of why they believe their milk is so creamy.

The best part of any tour are the samples, of course, and we got a taste of all their flavors. They have the normal — skim, 1 percent or 2 percent milk fat — but even more incredible are the flavored versions: Chocolate, strawberry, and even an orange flavor await you in some grocery store refrigerators. If you happen to be lucky enough, there is a root beer flavor as well.

During the holidays, they make an eggnog but it’s only for a limited time and this is definitely that time of year. Not everyone loves eggnog, even in my family it is split right up the middle.

So here are a few ideas on how to use their creamy eggnog throughout the holiday season even if you don’t normally like it. Trust us and give it a try!

• Eggnog pancakes – substitute milk or water with eggnog for a rich, fluffy stack of flapjacks
• Shaken, not Stirred – a martini made with eggnog, vodka, nutmeg
• Eggnog bread – add eggnog to your favorite bread recipe gives you a moist, rich bread.

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