Cruze Dairy Farm

Cruze Farm was established on April 21, 1980, when Earl and Cheri married. Earl, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, and Cheri, a bachelorette dreaming of owning a horse, met ice skating and married three months later. They built a humble processing plant and began bottling milk, selling to individual home customers. In 1988, they secured their first real milk account with the Knoxville Food Co-op. By 1992, they opened a scoop shop at the East Town farmers’ market. After the market closed, they focused on their pasteurized milk business, growing their buttermilk and whole milk sales. Colleen, after graduating from the University of Tennessee, helped expand the business by finding new stores to sell their products. The farm also ventured into selling ice cream via a food truck and later opened several pop-up and permanent locations in Knoxville and beyond.

The farm milks Jersey cows and bottles their own whole pasteurized Jersey milk, buttermilk, light milk, and chocolate milk. They churn ice cream using milk and cream from their Jersey cows. The cows are on pasture 365 days a year and are never given hormones. Their milk is not homogenized, allowing the cream to rise to the top. The dairy is a state-approved and inspected milk processing plant. Several years ago, they placed a conservation easement on their farm to ensure it remains a farm forever.

Cruze Farm has two storefront locations in Downtown Knoxville and East Knoxville, and their milk can be found in many local markets and mom-and-pop grocery stores. They also operate a food truck and have opened several ice cream shops, including a permanent location called Asbury Ice Cream and the Pizza Barn. The farm's main goal is to connect with people and build community through their dairy products.