Animal Farm

Shoreham, Vermont

Diane St Clair started Animal Farm in 2000, looking to make the most delicious butter possible on the planet by grazing a small herd of Jersey cows in the beautiful Champlain Valley of Vermont.  Jersey cows are a breed that has long been prized in the British Isles for butter making because of the high fat content of their milk.  The golden hue of the butter demonstrates the quality of the pasturage - these are happy cows!

In 2022, Diane sold the herd and butter making operation to Hilary and Ben Haigh, a nearby farm family with expert knowledge.  After several months of assisting Diane with daily production, they have now taken over full time.  The Haigh’s have extensive experience with grass-fed livestock and are perfectly positioned to keep the Animal Farm herd delighted in their new home.

This glorious butter is available only to a handful of America’s finest restaurants, including Chef Thomas Keller's Per Se and The French Laundry, Chef Barbara Lynch's Menton and No. 9 Park, and Chef Patrick O'Connell's The Inn at Little Washington. Saxelby Cheesemongers carries Diane's fabulous buttermilk year-round, and sells extremely limited quantities of her butter seasonally through our online store.