ALBANY – Legislators from across New York got a chance to sample all that the state’s agricultural producers have to offer on Monday night, including some of Chenango County’s finest creamery products.

The occasion was the Taste of New York, an annual reception hosted by the New York Farm Bureau as part of the organization’s annual lobby days in Albany. This year, Chenango County was represented by Evans Farmhouse Organic Creamery, a family-owned and operated USDA certified organic creamery located in Norwich.

“We like to be represented here,” said Chenango County Farm Bureau President Bradd Vickers, who assisted the Evans family with their display.

Evans Farmhouse Organic Creamery is a success story for local agriculture, said Vickers. The business was started in 1998 by Sue and Dave Evans, when the couple applied for and received a pasteurizer through the Small Dairy Project.

“We had a year to think how we’d proceed,” said Sue Evans. “It was sort of a trial.” They started small, using milk from their own 50-cow farm, which had belonged to Dave’s grandfather, as well as two neighboring farms. Within a few years, they had added additional equipment and outgrown their original creamery. They now get milk from a total of six area farms, four of which are certified organic by the USDA.

Their product line, which started with a few offerings, has grown to over 100 SKUs, which include a variety of organic yogurt, milk, cheese, butter and eggs. They also produce private label products for Siggi’s Skyr, an Icelandic style non-fat yogurt, and Dahlicious Lassi, a traditional Indian yogurt drink.

“In less than 8 years, [the family] built a million dollar business,” said Vickers. Last year, they had $1.4 million in sales.

Despite their growth, the Evans’ have stayed true to their roots.

“It is sort of a family thing,” said Evans. The family’s four children (Nathan, Jonna, Megan and Julia), three of whom accompanied their mother to Albany, are all involved in the operation of the farm and the creamery.