Heritage Commission and Museum Create Creamery Booklet
In 1914, the Courtenay Herald enthusiastically described conditions in the Comox Valley for dairy farming, “It is doubtful if there are more suitable conditions for the breeding and feeding of livestock than are to be found in the Courtenay- Comox district and its fertile valley comprising some thousands of acres. For dairy farming the district is unquestionably the finest on Vancouver Island.” Settlers had been producing dairy products since the late 1800s and the potential for a dairy industry was there. But many small farms could not afford the equipment they needed to process larger quantities of milk and butter. The Comox Co-operative Creamery Association was established in 1901 to meet this challenge and succeeded in supporting a dairy industry still alive today through the efforts of local farmers and Saputo Dairy Products of Canada.
To honor this legacy, the City of Courtenay Heritage Commission and the Courtenay and District Museum have just published A Short History of the Comox Co-operative Creamery Association. This 16-page booklet includes a summary of the history of the Creamery with archival and private collection images and excerpts from correspondence and publications. The booklet is available in the museum gift shop.
