Cook's Farm Dairy — Local services in Brandon Charter Township

I'll start with this: if you love ice cream, Cook's has it. So why two stars? Let me tell you a story.

I used to frequent Cook's Dairy Farm (CDF from here on out) in the late 90s and 00s. I loved visiting with friends and going on dates there in particular because you could get your ice cream and then stroll around and watch the cows enjoying themselves in the field. Sometimes they'd even come up to the fence and you could give them a scratch on the head. As cows are my favorite animal, you can imagine that this was pretty wonderful (better than some of the dates). As you can imagine, I have very fond memories.

Recently I was back in Michigan visiting family. My fiancé was visiting with me and I wanted to take her somewhere wonderful. Naturally, CDF came to mind.

Pulling into their parking lot, I could already see that things had changed. Where was the field? Where were the cows? We purchased our ice cream and began waking around.

Behind the main building were small, individual enclosures with one calf in each. A little shelter for sharing in, but otherwise no shade, and it was sunny and hot. The quality of their food was lacking.

Then there was the new-to-me barn, packed with cows, heads in restraints, manure around their feet. The conditions were disheartening, the fiancé saying they were awful. Her father being a recently retired cattleman, and her growing up on the farm, she has some knowledge of this. Again, the food quality was lacking.

The last building was relatively small, dank and dark, and there were too many cows in too little space. Manure everywhere and once again, sub par hay.

No field, just big, dark buildings where the cows had limited movement and were wallowing in their own waste. I lost my appetite and threw my barely touched ice cream away. I am udder-ly disappointed (see what I did there).

In all seriousness, though, the ice cream is good, but having lived out west for 10+ years now, I can get better ice cream from better farms. When I visit the Mitten, I won't ever be visiting CDF again.

It's genuinely sad for me to see the direction they've taken and I can only hope that things might change...

Growing up in Ortonville Cooks Farm Dairy always held a special place in my heart. I remember going through the drive through with my mom and getting their special milk in the plastic bags . We even had a special pitcher specifically designed for said bags of milk . It was fun and unique . There was nothing better than stopping by for a giant ice cream cone on a warm summers day . Their products are advertised to be a wholesome and healthy treat created with love, integrity and family values . Recently on a visit back home I felt the urge to relive that childhood nostalgia and so I went looking on their website for the ingredients of their delicious ice cream flavors . I was surprised to find that while they had " described " each ice cream flavor generally there was no list of the actual ingredients used . In a day and age where transparency is key I reached out via email asking for a list of ingredients while explaining that the reason I was asking for a list was due to some food sensitivities . I received an email reply from Quinton Cook asking " what ingredients are you trying to avoid " I again requested a list of the actual ingredients used and several days later have not received a reply back . As I was looking further into their website I was able to blow up a label from their Chocolate milk and noticed one of the ingredients listed was ( Artificial Coloring ) Being a consumer who is very conscious of what I put in my body I was surprised and shocked that they would use artificial ingredients in their " wholesome " products . So now I can only wonder why they aren't being forthcoming about the ingredients they use to make their ice cream ? Obviously I decided to forgo the chance to relive one of my fondest childhood memories and now I'm questioning what kind of an illusion it actually was if the ingredients they use were questionable in the...

A few years ago, I would have rated Cooks Dairy a 5, but my most recent visit was a HUGE disappointment to myself and our entire group.

No longer are you allowed to go inside to order or shop. They are now strictly drive through only, which I am sure started with Covid, but this company has decided to change their business model, and though Covid has been long over, continue to use it as a strategy to save $.

The ice cream is good - not great - and 3 in our party of 9 mentioned being disappointed as the ice cream didn’t look like the pictures on the website . For example, the cowpuchino flavor did NOT have any espresso beans in it, nor did the Oreo cookie flavor have chunks of Oreo cookies.

In the past, the portions were quite generous, but $4.25 buys you only a 4oz scoop.

The pavilion available to sit at (once you get out of your car after receiving your order) is now in the middle of a parking lot/dirt lot, which looks like it will be converted to concrete. How sad, as it used to be a pleasant place to enjoy the ice cream.

2 in the party have been long-term residents, and declared Cooks was no longer a place they would take out of town guests, nor do they feel the need to visit again. The quaint country farm ambiance is now only a distant memory.

I am a BIG believer in supporting LOCAL businesses whenever possible, but sadly, this family business seems to have sold out in the...