As we begin our 100 Farms in 100 Weeks journey, it gives me great joy to introduce you to Lane’s End Farm Creamery, a shining example of how passion, family, and purpose can come together beautifully on a farm.
A Dream Built on Simplicity and Community
Lane’s End Farm Creamery is run by Jesse and Lisa Vivian, together with their three children, on a cozy 20-acre homestead in rural western Pennsylvania. This isn’t a big industrial dairy in fact, they milk just ten Jersey cows, once a day. Their vision was inspired by “the dairy farm of yesteryear” and small European-style microdairies, where customers could connect directly with farmers, and where milk came from cows they know by name. After Jesse’s parents were forced to sell their larger dairy in 2017, he and Lisa decided to try something different something more personal and deeply rooted in the land.
Milk That Tells a Story
One of the things that sets Lane’s End apart is how they process their milk. They use vat pasteurization, a slower, gentler method: milk is heated to around 145°F, held for 30 minutes, then cooled all within the same vat. This method preserves more of the milk’s natural enzymes and flavor, giving their milk a richness and authenticity that they believe reflects its true character. They also don’t homogenize their milk. That means the cream rises naturally you get “creamline” milk, just like milk used to be. According to Jesse and Lisa, this enhances taste and even makes it easier for some people to digest. Every bottle is typically bottled within 24 hours of milking, making it as fresh as it gets.
More Than Just Milk It’s a Whole Creamery
Lane’s End Farm Creamery doesn’t stop at fresh milk. They also make: Artisan gelato, churned on the farm using milk from their own herd. Yogurt, crafted using only high-quality ingredients without artificial stabilizers. A variety of flavored milk pints, all made in small batches. They even opened a scoop shop on Main Street in Brockway, PA, so people can come and enjoy farm-made gelato in a charming small-town setting.
Farming Wisely — With Purpose and Vision
Even though Lane’s End is small, the Vivians think big. Their herd is purposefully managed: some of their Jerseys are bred for dairy, while others are crossed with Black Angus for beef. This design gives them two sources of revenue dairy and beef which strengthens the resilience of their business. But they don’t hoard this knowledge. In fact, Jesse and Lisa are deeply committed to teaching others. Lane’s End offers a complete microdairy startup course, downloadable guides, and a membership series for budding farmers who want to replicate their model. They even understand real-world pricing: their Microdairy Pricing Guide reveals how they make over USD 200,000 of revenue from just 10 cows on 20 acres.
The Philosophy That Drives Them
What makes Lane’s End truly inspiring is their belief that small farms are powerful. Rather than chasing scale and mass production, they opted for meaningful relationships with their cows, their land, and their community.
Farming on Purpose
Their model is financially sustainable, but also environmentally thoughtful: careful grazing, low-energy pasteurization, and a farm that balances dairy with diversified income. They’re also living proof that a farm built on passion can support a family. When they started, they had no barn built for dairy, no large facility but they learned, built, saved, and poured in their love for farming.
Why Lane’s End Is Our First Pick
For the 100 Farms in 100 Weeks project, we wanted to start with a farm that embodies purpose, family, and sustainability. Lane’s End is exactly that. Their microdairy model shows that you don’t need hundreds of acres or hundreds of cows to build something meaningful. Their commitment to their animals, their community, and to sharing their insights is exactly the kind of leadership we want to highlight. At Vaksana Farms, we believe in celebrating farms that challenge the status quo and Lane’s End is a perfect fit. If you want to follow their story, learn from their model, or simply savor their delicious farm-made products, you’re in for something special.
If you want to explore more farms like Lane’s End, check out our “100 Farms in 100 Weeks” series here: www.vaksanafarms.in/100
.
Over to You:
What fascinates you most about Lane’s End Farm Creamery? Is it the vat-pasteurized milk, the gelato, or their microdairy philosophy? Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments I’d love to dive deeper into their story with you!
