Tom Parker Creamery and First Milk unite to scale regenerative dairy supply

Tom Parker Creamery has announced a strategic partnership with First Milk, the British farmer-owned co-operative, to transition its milk supply to a regenerative model.

The collaboration links the heritage dairy brand with First Milk’s B Corp certified network to advance soil health, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity across its local supply chain.

The partnership focuses on a “field-to-fridge” approach, ensuring that every bottle of milk is underpinned by nature-positive farming practices. First Milk farmers supplying the creamery are committed to grazing-based production, capturing structured data to monitor environmental impact while ensuring cows have regular access to pasture.

Advancing regeneration 

At the heart of the agreement is a shared commitment to farming with nature. First Milk’s regenerative approach involves a detailed field-level understanding of environmental stewardship, including the care of hedgerows, rotational grazing, and increasing plant diversity.

Rob Yates, CEO of Tom Parker Creamery, emphasised the importance of this local, traceable supply: “The new partnership with First Milk allows us to support local British farms within a 90-mile radius of the creamery with a regeneratively farmed milk pool for the Tom Parker Creamery business. Our ethos has always been about producing the highest quality dairy products that are close to nature and sustains both people and planet.”

He further noted that the partnership supports a fully traceable supply chain: “First Milk shares that vision. Their regenerative approach supports a fully traceable supply chain, underpinned by detailed field‑level understanding of environmental impact and the adoption of nature‑positive farming practices such as caring for hedgerows, rotational grazing, improving soil health and increasing plant diversity. Our partnership will allow us to scale sustainably, while continuing to balance profit with purpose.”

Commercial stability and shared values

For First Milk, the collaboration provides a platform to showcase the work of its farmer members while building commercial stability through long-term relationships with values-led brands.

Fraser Brown, commercial director – milk & ingredients at First Milk, commented: “We’re delighted to begin this partnership with Tom Parker Creamery, built on our shared commitment to responsible dairy. Everything we do starts with our farmer members, whose regenerative approach and dedication to farming with care make relationships like this possible and underpin long‑term collaboration and commercial stability across the supply chain.”

Clean label integrity and heritage packaging

The transition to regenerative sourcing complements Tom Parker Creamery’s existing focus on minimal processing and plastic-free packaging. The milk is pasteurised as required by law but never standardised, ensuring nothing is skimmed off and the natural integrity of the whole milk remains intact.

This clean label philosophy extends to the brand’s flavoured milk drinks and creams, which use only natural ingredients like fruit purées, cacao, and coffee. To minimise the environmental footprint of the finished product, the core range is packaged in fully recyclable, resealable glass bottles with paper labels — a nod to founder Tom Parker’s original 1920s deliveries.

By combining progressive regenerative thinking with traditional glass-bottle heritage, the partnership positions both businesses to meet rising consumer demand for nutritious, minimally processed dairy with a significantly lighter environmental footprint.