Simon Schulz has created a strong brand in the dairy industry, showing small and large business owners alike what can be done with firm principles, hard work, ambition and innovation. That Simon accomplished this in his early twenties is further testament to his passion and determination. Simon’s family are well known to many in the Victorian food sector – his grandfather Hermann was the founder of Timboon Farmhouse Cheese, the first organic farm based cheesery in Australia. However the family decide to sell the cheesery, when Simon was still in high school. Simon’s parents had a dairy farm that continued to supplied milk and cream to the factory however, so it was conveniently located for short-term employment when Simon was looking to travel overseas after completing high school and then tertiary business studies. The rest, as they say, is history. The family’s entrepreneurial streak came to the fore and Simon enlisted his grandfather’s assistance to develop some products. In a short period, Simon, aged 21, set up a factory on his parents’ farm and started his own brand. Schulz Organic is known as a producer of ‘real’ dairy … milk as close to fresh from the cow as you can buy. Non homogenised milk, natural whey and traditional yoghurt are among Simon’s hallmarks. He’s also an advocate for the benefits of raw milk. Perhaps most notably, Simon takes challenges in his stride and acts accordingly. There was a recall of some products following internal testing in 2013; in 2015, Simon stopped selling bath milk. While careful to research options carefully, Simon is also unafraid to innovate, returning from overseas trips with new ideas and production techniques. Some might say this is a product of youth, yet being younger in the agricultural sector has worked as much against, as for Simon, with some colleagues dismissing his ideas and experience. But the proof is in the pudding .. the milk pudding that is!

Victorian farmers' markets provide an opportunity for our farmers to sell direct and take full credit for their efforts. By shopping at farmers' markets customers are guaranteed access to quality, freshly harvested produce whilst supporting local farmers and directly putting money back into regional Victorian communities.