Anyone who's walked through a grocery store has probably seen the sheer multitude of choices when it comes to dairy, real or substitute. Cheese from New Zealand, yogurt from Greece, milk from India; from the cow, the goat, the nut, or the grain. Before outsourcing for these products was commonplace, locals of the Okanagan relied on the producers within their own communities - most of whom were a part of the North Okanagan Cattleman's Association (NOCA). Based in Armstrong, farmers from across the province cooperated to transport their products across the country. NOCA butter shipments earned more than any other creamery in 1927 and bottles of branded milk were in most homes. This was also, unfortunately, the same year that the NOCA creamery burned down. Operations were then moved to Vernon.
Today, NOCA is no more, with various creamery associations and private businesses competing alongside international imports. Its bottles and products, many of which traveled up and down Okanagan Lake in ships like the Sicamous, are still found in antique stores and homes.
Okanagan Historical Reports - NOCA Dairy :
History of the Dairy:
One of the men who helped the small farmers get their milk to the dairy for processing.
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