What's Old Is New: Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, Milkmen Return To Delivery Routes In Maryland
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- For those old enough to remember, the milkman used to be a staple in most neighborhoods across the country. Now, it appears this at-home delivery service is making a comeback.
South Mountain Creamery, a dairy farm located in Middletown, Maryland, has been perfecting their home delivery service since 2001.
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"We're just in the right spot at the right time," said Tony Brusco, the co-owner and CEO of South Mountain Creamery. "For us, the last two months have been kind of a wild ride."
Coinciding with the start of the coronavirus pandemic, business has skyrocketed, nearly doubling from delivering to 5,000 homes a week to 9,600 homes a week. They anticipate that number to continue to climb.
"We actually have over 6,000 people on our waiting list waiting to join our service," Brusco said.
To keep up with demand, they're in the process of hiring more drivers and buying new trucks and anticipate being able to reach 15,000 homes within the next month.
Now delivering more than dairy products, Brusco says they're more like a mobile farmers market.
"We work with about 150 to 200 farms and other farmers that produce the produce, eggs and things that we offer, so this is really a win-win service for everybody," he explained.
Customers can sign up for recurring or one time orders, and can choose from a range of products including fresh bread, produce, eggs, dairy and meat.
They currently deliver to most of Maryland, D.C. and northern Virginia and are now expanding to parts of Delaware and West Virginia.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.