Our Story

Hello friends!

My name is Toby Miller, and I’m where the buck stops here at OPE! I Found A Better Milk.™

Unless you’re from around here you probably never heard of Kalona, Iowa. It’s where I grew up on a small dairy farm in the late seventies, and I’m happy to say it’s still my family’s home today.

Back then it seemed like everybody in the community was involved in dairy farming somehow. As I recall, there were 70 small farms just in our small area. Sadly, that number has dwindled to maybe 18 today, partly due to the influence of huge agribusinesses that usually don’t care what happens to our air, water, and soil.

But not all memories are bittersweet. Some are just plain sweet! Like what happened in 2005 when I married my beautiful wife Nona, whom I’d known all my life. Yup, that’s the way it is in small Midwestern towns… you grow up knowing pretty much everybody.

When Nona’s dad decided to retire in 2006, we both saw a great opportunity to start a small farm of our own and bought his farm and herd of 24 healthy, well cared for cows.

Fast forward to 2025. Today our small farm is still small, but that’s OK, because size isn’t the top priority for us. Producing the best milk and cheese is our focus, and providing for our family. Nona and I have been blessed with five children, and we want to leave behind a lasting legacy for them.

We decided the best way to do that is with cows that produce only A2A2 milk that many studies show (and many diary lovers agree) is easier to digest if they’re sensitive to the A1 protein, or lactose intolerant.

It’s really satisfying to Nona and me that our children will have the pleasure of continuing the tradition of small dairy farming.

Our deep wish is that OPE! I Found A Better Milk™ will be a big help for people looking to enjoy dairy again. But our brand is about more than that.

It’s about promoting and upolding Midwest values and strengthening personal connections by encouraging people to talk face-to-face with devices set aside—if we can help alleviate some of the isolation so many people feel nowadays, we’ll consider our business to be a success—and it’s also about protecting the Earth we all share by using earth-friendly farming practices that yield clean air, water, and soil.

Sincerely, 

Toby (and Nona!) Miller