MTSU Creamery to sell milk at downtown Murfreesboro Saturday Market

The MTSU Creamery already has a presence in downtown Murfreesboro. It soon will have an even “larger” one — at the Murfreesboro Saturday Market this summer.

It will come in the form of the MTSU milk truck and the selling of both whole white and chocolate milk at the trendy market from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday from June 6 through Sept. 26.

This marks a first-time farmer’s market-type venture for the Creamery, which started in 2017 and is part of the MTSU School of Agriculture’s dairy at the farm in Lascassas, Tennessee, and milk processing plant in back of the Stark Agriculture Center on campus.

“This is a new thing for us,” said Matthew Wade, director of the MTSU Farm Laboratories. “We don’t know what to expect, but we kind of have an idea. We’re thankful to the Murfreesboro market, to have a spot and provide milk to a greater audience.”

The MTSU Creamery sells milk products downtown at Hattie Jane’s Creamery, City Café and Brass Horn Coffee Roasters LLC, and around 15 area establishments.

First-year Main Street Murfreesboro Executive Director Sarah Callender said her organization “is very excited about any partnership between MTSU and Main Street … and come up with different ways to get students to come downtown. We think the community will be excited to see the truck here selling milk every Saturday.”

Along with a student worker who will be training Week 1, Wade and milk processing plant manager Steve Dixon will staff the market, bringing pints and half-gallons of very popular chocolate milk and gallons of whole white milk. The truck will be on the southeast side of the square near Church Street.

In following weeks, Creamery student workers will bring and sell the milk — “and we may make adjustments to meet customers’ demands,” Wade said.

“Our students are very excited about this,” Wade added. “So, we’ll turn them loose.”

With the coronavirus still prevalent, Wade said he, Dixon and MTSU students will follow public health guidelines regarding social distancing.

“We’ll take precautions — wearing face coverings, gloves and practice social distancing,” Wade said.

The Creamery recently added a new bottling label machine, new bottles and labels.

A variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables, meat, jams and jellies, bread and more will be available at the market featuring 50 vendors, said Callender, whose husband, Nate Callender, is an associate professor in the MTSU Aerospace Department.