by Gail Falk, Staff Writer
Anthony Calderero, the new owner of Butterworks Farm in Westfield, would be the first person to tell you he is not a farmer. Rather, the New Hampshire businessman is a man with a passion for healthy food. His goal, he says, is to “get as much healthy food to as many people as possible.”
Butterworks Farm, nestled in a verdant, sparsely populated section of Orleans County, was founded 50 years ago by Jack and Anne Lazor. Jack Lazor was also a passionate man, passionate about stewardship of the environment, regenerative farming methods, care for his animals, and, in his later years, grass-fed organic milk production.
Lazor built a herd of Jersey cows and a solar-powered, on-farm creamery that has been producing the Butterworks yogurt, buttermilk, cream, and kefir that has anchored our Co-op’s dairy section for decades.
In his later years, Lazor stopped feeding grain to his cows, and converted to 100% grass-fed dairy because he was convinced it produced more nutritious milk. While, over the years, many Vermont farms have converted to organic production, Butterworks is one of the only dairies in the region to produce grass-fed milk.
Lazor died in 2020. After he died, his wife and daughter eventually decided they were not up to maintaining the farm. In 2024 they put it up for sale.
Calderero, an accountant by training, bought the farm because he admired Lazor’s commitment to environmental stewardship, regenerative agriculture, humane treatment of animals, and, above all, healthy food. He has no plans to change these. He has retained the core staff and entrusts day-to-day operations to their knowledge and experience.
Calderero explains that, whereas most dairy farms rely upon or supplement their cows’ diet with grain, particularly in winter, grass-fed cows eat only pastured grass in the summer and hay in the winter. 100% grass-fed production is more expensive for the farmer: it requires more acreage per cow and careful attention to the nutrient density of the pasture. But, like Lazor before him, Calderero is convinced it is worth it. He cites studies showing that milk from grass-fed cows has higher levels of Omega-3’s and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) than regular organic milk. In a word, it’s better for you.
Calderero brings to Butterworks his experience as a CFO (chief financial officer) for several other businesses. He bought the farm believing he had the business and financial skills to make it financially sustainable and profitable.
It’s now been two years since the sale was finalized. He has expanded the herd to 76 cows to increase milk production. Aging equipment has been replaced. The staff is stabilized. Operations are more efficient. He brought in a local farmer, Jack Royer, as full-time director of farming, and in May he hired an experienced chef to direct the dairy plant. The herd is healthy. He has raised wages. Sales have increased, and Butterworks is now making a profit.
Catastrophes still happen as they do on most farms. “Last week there was a leak in a water pipe,” he says, “and we lost a complete run of heavy cream.” This was serious because heavy cream is Butterworks’ most popular product.
With the business stabilized, Calderero is looking to the future. His interest in children’s health has him focused on products that appeal to children — chocolate milk and yogurt pouches top his list. He is concerned about plastic packaging and would like to convert to glass jars and bottles, but the machinery required to fill glass bottles is cost prohibitive — over $1 million.
With the help of his brother, who is a co-owner, he modernized the web portal where buyers at each store enter their weekly order. The new web interface relays the orders directly to the distributors, saving several hours of clerical work per week. Farm Connex, based in Hardwick, is the distributor for the Plainfield Co-op. Because Farm Connex is a program of the non-profit Center for an Agricultural Economy, their charges are low and the shelf price for Butterworks products at the Co-op can be less.
Butterworks products are now sold in every New England state. Whole Foods and food co-ops are the primary retail outlets. Calderero has been contacted by several stores in New York that would like to carry Butterworks products, but he has yet to find a satisfactory distributor with reasonable costs. Expanded sales contribute to profitability, but to Calderero, they are also an aspect of his core mission: getting as much healthy food to as many people as possible.
Photo credits: Butterworks Farm and Gail Falk
