A local dairy brand has reached a milestone for organic production.

Kalona SuperNatural is the first dairy brand to sell 100% grass-fed products certified by the American Grassfed Association (AGA). In 2018, the company will be selling the two new certified products, plain and vanilla organic, 100% grassfed cultured whole milk kefir. Kalona SuperNatural Farm Liaison Phil Forbes defines kefir, “Kefir comes from, I believe, eastern Europe and Russia. Kefir is a cultured, fluid, dairy product where you would take certain types of grains that would be put in the milk and sat at room temperature overnight. It will ‘sour the milk’, it’s like buttermilk. What you’re doing is you’re creating a bunch of good, beneficial, probiotic bacteria there. When you drink it, it’s going to help your digestion, it’s going to help your overall health.”

The AGA certification guarantees that the milk used to make the brand’s products comes from cows that are pasture-grazed and fed 100% forage, with no use of grains or grain products. Kalona SuperNatural Marketing Manager Sarah Rissi explains the AGA, “They are a national organization with a third-party verification process, and as with all of our products we want to be extremely transparent. We know that our consumers are wanting transparency and getting this certification with actual third-party verification allows us to be transparent and to be credible.”

The 100% grassfed kefir products will start shipping in January 2018. Forbes says he believes more 100% grassfed products will follow, and will become the new norm for organic dairy production.