Living Everyday with Intention at Millstone Farm
Arriving at Millstone Farm and Organics, you’ll instantly feel the warmth and care that underpin everything they do. Owned by Laurie Kelly and Mike Butler, the couple is taking purposeful living to the next level and we have to tell you all about it! Millstone’s mission is to live simply and sustainably, and with intention. They believe firmly in aligning the actions in your everyday life with your values, and create non-toxic household products to make that possible!
Millstone recently opened their eco store in North Saanich, B.C., offering a full line of options for your sustainable journey. You’ll find a range of zero waste products, produce, and different types of flour, mixes and spices — including stone milled organic, gluten-free flour made in their dedicated gluten free facility.
Ethical practices for people and planet
As a small family farm, Millstone takes the responsibility to care for their land seriously, to protect it for future generations. Laurie says, “We consider every aspect of a product and packaging and it must be good for the planet today, tomorrow and a hundred years from now or we will not offer it.” And they mean it! Every detail has been considered — from repurposing wood for the store’s cabinetry from the box that their stonemill was shipped in to making reusable, plastic-free, GOTS-certified bags. To create all of their certified organic cotton products, Millstone has fostered a lasting partnership with a family business that shares the same values in protecting the environment and is a GOTS-certified organic textile producer in Tirupur, India, making it a priority to source ingredients where they are grown sustainably and to pay workers a fair living wage.
A truly clean laundry routine
Millstone’s conscious philosophy really shines in their lovingly handmade, sustainable laundry products. Laundry rooms can be one of the most toxic areas of our homes due to all the chemicals used in the washer and dryer that permeate the fabrics and vent into the air in our homes and outdoors. Millstone offers organic, plant-based, refillable laundry soap made from a blend of oils and aloe vera. It’s fragrance free, and you can always add a few drops of their pure essential oils as you add the product to your machine, if you’re a scent lover. Best of all, the laundry soap is free from harsh chemicals that go into our drains and oceans and stick around in our fabrics.
Circular, cruelty-free & compostable
As a Leaping Bunny-certified farm, Millstone’s environmental focus extends to the animals they care for. They consider the animals part of the farm’s family, giving them a forever home. Millstone’s flock of miniature babydoll sheep provides them with wool to make cruelty-free, natural wool dryer balls, blended with merino and dorset wool from other ethical Canadian sheep farms. The farm has sold over 100,000 dryer balls over the last 11 years! A proven way to reduce drying time and conserve energy, these are made to last and are fully biodegradable and compostable. You can find them in our holiday gift guide this year!
With all of their products, Millstone is committed to making people feel good about healthy, zero waste living, and offering the highest quality reusable containers to make it easier. They are constantly adding new products to their extensive line — the latest is a refillable egg carton (the first one to get approved in Canada)! Bring it to their farm shop or Pepper's Foods in Cadboro Bay for a zero waste way to get your eggs.
Thank you to Millstone Farm and Organics for inviting us to visit such a beautiful and environmentally mindful space. We hope learning about their products and mission inspires you to stop by their new store, open 10-5pm Wednesday through Saturday, or to support them online here!
* Note: This is a paid blog post with Millstone Farms & Organics