In the 16 weeks since Peter Butcher and his burgeoning delivery service, The Milkman's Back, starting bringing bottles of Udder Farm dairy's fresh milk to the doorsteps of Newcastle homes, he's been run off his feet. "This is a monster I've now created," he says.
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He's delivering Udder Farm milk, plus freshly-made goods from local suppliers Binnorie Dairy, Fawk Foods Kitchen & Bakery, Donarch Fine Chocolate, Little Hill Farm, Murrells Beef Jerky & Butchery, Wollombi Road Providore, Kind Earth Coffee and Kurri Kurri Hot Bread Shop.
"We're bringing the taste of the valley to the doors of Newcastle," he says during a spare moment on Christmas Eve as he was preparing final deliveries, including delicious baked hams.
He's delivering to the doors of more than 150 households, and has turned back another 150 just because he can't cover that much ground - yet.
He and dairy farmer Glenn Haines of Udder Farm at Luskintyre are taking off a week to catch their collective breath and figure out how to make the most of the huge wave of interest in home delivery of top-quality milk and produce.
He's hoping he can get more Hunter Valley dairy farmers involved.
"Our big picture dream is to get the rest of the dairy farmers here in the Hunter Valley to combine together and come up with their own brand of milk," Butcher says.
"I had a feeling," he says of the early success. "I had a lot of hope. You can feel the change in the wind, especially with a lot of locals. With the three-pronged message: environment, local and taste, you could see it was going to take off. But not in my wildest dreams was it going to be this quick."
He's still taking inquiries on Facebook.
Read more: The Milkman's Back