Meet Daryl Mast, the Chadds Ford milkman, but make it modern. Daryl owns Doorstep Dairy, a Lancaster-based company that delivers locally-produced dairy, meat, eggs, snacks, and more from local and regional farmers to Chadds Ford (and several other counties around us). I’ve been a customer for years, and am stoked to finally get a chance to tell you about him and his business. We’ve been trying to get this on the books for months, and I was the bottleneck, so… 🫠

Daryl lives on a family farm near Lancaster with his wife and five sons. They share their land with hundreds of chickens, a “flerd” (according to Daryl) of sheep and cattle that hang out and snack on long grass together, and a barn full of outdoor cats.

cows and sheep in the pasture at Doorstep Dairy farm

I was supposed to visit the farm a while back, and as is the case with life sometimes, my morning got messy, and we decided to chat over the phone instead. Daryl graciously answered all my curious questions about farm life and his business for over an hour. Towards the end of the conversation, I asked him what made farm life and local, regenerative farming so special and worth protecting. He said:

“That’s part of the reason I was so excited to have you come visit. You just have to feel it.”

Damn it, Daryl! 🤣 Now I definitely have to come visit. How can I pass up that compelling sales pitch?

I’m so glad I made a 75-minute trip to see the magic of small farmlife firsthand.

My Doorstep Dairy farm visit

I arrived on a perfectly overcast day, with a temperature you couldn’t feel and clouds you couldn’t miss. Their littlest lamb was the welcoming committee. Daryl invited me into his home to meet his wife and children, and then we set off to do some farm chores!

Rest assured, I only observed the literal heavy lifting. I wasn’t taking any chances of breaking something or letting an animal run loose. My suburban-approaching-city-slicker farm skills are… zero… not a thing. 🙃

moving the chicken coop on a regenerative farm

Daryl and his boys moved the chicken houses and nudged the flerd into a new, grassy paddock as part of their daily practices, maintaining soil health through regenerative farming methods. I connected with his wife and asked seven billion questions about the animals and life as a farming family. We had a lovely conversation, and the entire family was so generous with their stories and education.

I got to microdose that small farming feeling Daryl couldn’t put into words, the richness and connection of tending to the land and the animals. The pace. The sounds. The screen-free fresh air. It’s life-giving through the practice of farming itself and through the end product, which serves as sustenance for neighbors and customers.

How did Doorstep Dairy end up in Chadds Ford?

Former Brandywine Valley resident Kevin Quinlan started Logical Living, a hyperlocal farm-to-family delivery service. When he had the opportunity to move out of state with his family, he sold the business to Doorstep Dairy, which helped the company expand its already successful footprint. Daryl and his team took over delivery, and the rest is history.

How to sign up for Doorstep Dairy (+ discount)

Head to their website and follow the simple steps to start an account (it’s easy peasy). Daryl’s team will confirm you’re in their delivery area, set up your account, and you can start to shop their site for your weekly delivery choices.

If you’re interested, use code CCF20 for $20 off your first order (yes, that’s my referral code). If you want to sign up without it, that’s fine too. I’ve been a paying customer for many years, so referral code or not, I’m still a fan. 🫶🏻

Doorstep Dairy lets you decide what to order each week. There are no required items or minimum purchases, though there is a small delivery fee if your order is under a certain threshold. You can skip a week or two if you don’t need anything from their offerings. You just have to place your order by Friday at noon for delivery the following Tuesday (so they have time to order from suppliers, pick up and pack, and get the truck ready for the adventure from Lancaster to Chadds Ford).

For more details, check out the video below where I ask Daryl a few questions, show you snippets of the farm, and navigate you through the website to sign up. If you’re interested in supporting local and regional farmers, this is a great way to do it that fits into your schedule!

Got questions? Let me know, and I’ll do my best to answer them. Now off to shop!