Old-School Milkman Delivery Is Still Around. Here's How To Get It At Your Home

A milkman at your doorstep might be as foreign to you as a home without a refrigerator, but it wasn't all that long ago that milk trucks were roving the streets in droves delivering fresh dairy products. Still, after the first self-service grocery store opened in 1916, milk home-delivery services eventually saw a decline, as supermarkets with ample cold storage made it possible for families to buy everything in one place. By 2005, the last year the USDA kept this record, less than 1% of milk sold in the United States was delivered directly to consumers (via NPR).

Despite being nearly gone, milk delivery services never completely went away. There's been renewed interest over the years as people have come to favor quality foods over highly processed options, and the pandemic was another watershed moment.  Combine the desire for freshness, forced isolation, and growing nostalgia for simpler times, and you've got a renaissance of the milkman — along with what made the service and the people who provided it so special. Today, while you may not get milk delivery exactly like in your grandparents' stories, you can get pretty close.

Satiating nostalgia often comes at a cost, and old-school milk delivery is no different. But you can discover nearby dairies by searching online or asking within your community. In Clarksville, a town in upstate New York, Meadowbrook Farms delivers locally and in New York City using the Manhattan Milk Company brand. And in Southern California, Alta Dena Dairy offers delivery using independent contractors, who manage their own websites and advertising in the areas they serve.

If milk delivery doesn't seem readily available in your area, there are still some options to consider. The first is to check one of the major services like Instacart or your favorite national chain store's online delivery options. Since you're still relying on conventional grocers, however, you may miss out on some of the real benefits of direct-from-the-farm delivery, such as peak freshness and sustainability. While not all home-delivered milk comes in glass bottles, smaller dairy farms with delivery services may be more likely to use them since they can be easily refilled and repackaged.

To have milk delivered without the supermarket getting between you and the farms, consider services like Imperfect Foods and Farm Fresh to You, which partner with local dairies. For an even more personal connection, try your favorite farmers market. There you can meet dairy workers, taste fresh milk (or seasonal offerings like eggnog during the holidays) before you buy, and see if they offer home delivery. You may just walk away with a milkman you can call your family friend.