By Madison Berry, Agricultural Development Specialist
Nestled on rolling hills in Washington County, Maryland, Clear Spring Creamery is a small but mighty operation.
The farm milks 35 grass-fed Jersey cows to process all their own milk, cream, and yogurt products in-house.
Clear Spring Creamery is run by beginning first-generation farmer Ariel Herrod, who purchased the farm in 2022.
Ariel admits she prefers in-person connections to social media—and since Clear Spring products are found exclusively at farmers markets in the D.C. area, that has served the farm very well.
If customers have questions about the farm, Ariel is right there at the market, able to whip out her phone to show pictures of her favorite cow or explain the dairy business. “These conversations mean we know our customers well,” Ariel said. “We understand why they keep coming back to us, we have a sense of their values, and there is mutual trust and respect.”
But Ariel knew that in order to grow the farm’s customer base and engage with buyers, they needed to up their marketing and branding game, online and off. That’s where the NE-DBIC Dairy Marketing & Branding Services Grant came in.
With a $28,000 grant, Clear Spring Creamery worked with consultants at Good Roots (formerly Taste Profit Marketing) and graphic designer Mayté Ifeya to improve their website, social media, logo, and branding. They walked away with a laundry list of improvements, including a new website, a presence on Instagram and Facebook, an updated logo and packaging, and a better understanding of building and maintaining their online presence.
The goal was not just to receive updated materials. Ariel specifically looked for coaching in all of these areas to build her skills and momentum. “I am driven and motivated, but I am also a beginning farmer, which means that there are still so many skills for me to acquire,” she said.
“The real value of this grant is a year’s worth of coaching so that I can continue to lead our business’s marketing and branding efforts for many years into the future.”
Ariel worked primarily with Lindsey Sorah, a consultant at Good Roots, who coached Clear Spring Creamery on the complex world of social media and online marketing.
She “held their hand” through crafting social media posts, and taught Ariel—who confesses she has stayed off social media for almost a decade—how to navigate engaging and interacting with others on Facebook and Instagram.
The farm team also got involved, helping to brainstorm posts and jumping in to craft some of their own. Offering that professional development was exciting, Ariel said. “I really enjoyed being able to pay [our staff] to do something new, fun, and enriching, all while knowing that it also served the needs of the business as a whole.”
Thanks to the grant, Ariel is confident she now has the skills to manage Clear Spring Creamery’s online presence, which was her primary goal.
Their new homepage also helps make the most of collaborations with other dairies, whose customers now have a place to land and learn more. This new, more robust online presence comes full circle back to in-person relationships. In addition to more organic website hits and social media engagement, Ariel now has customers at the market commenting on things they’ve seen online, building their connections to the farm.
“Since our goal was to take in-person conversations beyond the market and into people’s homes (or phones!), this [feels] amazing.”
The NE-DBIC Marketing & Branding Grant is open for applications March 25 – May 8, 2025.
