Frequently Asked Questions

We are always pleased to hear from our consumers and we’d be delighted to provide you with information about where to buy Kemps products. Please let us know:  1) Your Zip Code, 2) which products you are looking for, 3 ) which stores you like to shop.   We will work with our Sales and Marketing teams to research your inquiry and provide the best available information as soon as possible.   You may email your inquiry by clicking here.   You may also contact us at 1-800-726-6455 weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. central time.

Kemps Organic Milk is bottled locally in MN.

Kemps Organic Milk is not “raw milk”.  Kemps Organic milk goes through the same pasteurization process as all Kemps Milk

Kemps is dedicated to sourcing milk from local family farms.  At least 90% of all Kemps Organic Milk comes from Organic dairy farms in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.  However, in times of shortage, Kemps may source a limited quantity of Organic milk from contiguous states to the west.

Oregon Tilth (OTCO) is the independent, non-profit research and education organization that provides Organic Certification services to Organic growers, processors and handlers internationally.  This organization routinely monitors and reviews the records, processes, and practices of Organic milk producers in order to provide certification that they operate under strict Organic sourcing and processing standards. 

You can learn more about Oregon Tilth at: http://tilth.org

Kemps milk comes from a number of Organic Certified family farms.  We do not currently make public the names of individual farmers.

Organic cows feed in pastures and have pasture access (weather permitting).  They are not given any feed that is treated with herbicides or pesticides, nor are they given antibiotics or hormones.

Kemps “Organic Milk” is milk sourced directly from family farms that are certified organic by an independent certification agency.  The agency is independent of any milk plants or bottlers.   The cows that produce Kemps Organic Milk are never treated with antibiotics or growth hormones.  In addition, the feed and grain stock fed  to the animals that produce milk certified as “Organic” is never treated with herbicides or pesticides.

Thank you for wanting to share your idea with us. We truly enjoy hearing what our consumers think about Kemps products. Even though we appreciate your idea, we do not accept product or marketing ideas from consumers. Kemps employees devote a great deal of time and effort to developing new and improved products, packaging concepts, promotions and merchandising ideas that maintain the reputation of quality and innovation for which Kemps is known. Often, these ideas are in the developmental stage years before they make it to the shelves of your local grocery store. Therefore, we must depend on our staff to develop all new marketing and product ideas. If you do choose to forward any suggestions, they will be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary.

We appreciate your support of Kemps products, and thank you understanding our position.

All Kemps Milk is sourced from local family farms and is Grade A certified.   Grade A milk must meet the highest quality standards.

• Kemps Organic Milk - is sourced fresh from family farms that are certified “Organic” through an independent agency. 
• Kemps Select Milk - is our long-standing flagship label, and contains fresh milk from farmers who pledge not to use any artificial growth hormones to stimulate milk production in their cows. 
• Kemps Traditional Milk - While many consumers express a preference for Organic and hormone-free milk, there is still consumer support for traditional Kemps Grade A milk.  We are pleased to offer this choice to meet consumers’ needs.

We appreciate your interest in obtaining coupons for Kemps products. However, we do not maintain mailing lists or other means of distributing coupons. It’s best to check your Sunday newspaper supplements as we offer cents-off coupons on many of our products throughout the year.

Unfortunately, public tours are not offered at any Kemps facility.

You may inquire about Kemps Home Delivery by visiting www.milkmandelivers.com

Plastic gallons of milk, plastic and paper half-gallons of milk, cottage cheese and sour cream.  Only plastic gallons and half-gallons of milk have caps with stickers.  Paper half gallons of milk, cottage cheese and sour cream containers have a banner that must be cut out of the package.  The banner reads “Every Nickel Bit Helps.”  Please be sure to cut out the banner as your NFS proof-of-purchase (POPS).  We cannot accept the UPC code as a NFS proof-of-purchase.

You must send the cap and sticker together.  Credit will not be given for any stickers that have been removed.

It is preferred that you count the caps so that your school has some idea of how much money to expect for caps submitted.  However, counting is not required.  If your school is willing to accept the fulfillment center’s count, you may simply pack and ship your caps with a completed redemption form, stating on the form that you have not counted the caps and will accept the fulfillment center’s count.

Redemption forms are available to download by clicking here.

One time enrollment is all that’s required.  Once your school receives a NFS I.D. number, that number will remain the same for the duration of Kemps NFS program.  We suggest that you write your school’s I.D. number on a redemption form and make a few photocopies of that form to use throughout the year or share with the next NFS coordinator at your school.

Shipments postmarked by the second Friday in April each year should receive a check four to six weeks after the fulfillment center receives the package.  Although the turnaround time during the school year is four to six weeks, checks are not sent over the summer. For shipments postmarked after the second Friday in April each year, schools will receive checks during September of the next school year.

Enrollment is open to any accredited K-12 public, private or parochial school. Schools must have a 501(c)(3) or 509(a)(1) tax-exempt designation to be eligible.  Home school organizations with 15 or more students (and tax-exempt designation) are also eligible.  We cannot enroll any organization that does not meet these criteria.

Please send the caps, loose, in a sturdy shipping carton.  We ask that you do not bundle or package the caps.  For proofs-of-purchase, please put those in a Ziploc bag and lay the bag on top of the caps.  Place your completed redemption form on top of the caps/POPS and seal the box with packaging tape.

Please send your caps by UPS or DHL ground service.  UPS/DHL will provide you with a receipt that includes a tracking number.   Please keep that receipt and tracking number until your school receives their check and confirms that the amount is correct.

Please send no fewer than 2,000 caps per shipment.  If your school does not reach the required 2,000 caps/proofs-of-purchase, please send whatever amount you have saved once per year.

Four to six weeks after enrolling online the fulfillment center will send you a NFS I.D. number and welcome packet.

You might have noticed a TV, newspaper or radio ad about Nickels For Schools. Advertising is just one way that Kemps is telling people about this new fundraising program. Direct mail to superintendents, principals and other school personnel, presentations at school board meetings and displays at grocery stores are among other methods Kemps is using to tell people about Nickels For Schools.

We ask that you ship caps no more than four times per year.

Kemps Nickels For Schools will run indefinitely until otherwise noted.  If any future decision is made about changing or ending the program, notice of the same will be posted on kemps.com.

A school coordinator counts the caps and proof-of-purchase symbols to be redeemed, completes a copy of the redemption form that's included in the Nickels For Schools Enrollment Kit and available here, and sends the whole package to the Nickels For Schools redemption center. It's most efficient to use a ground service (like UPS) to ship the package. Within a few weeks, you will receive a check equal to the value of the milk caps and proof-of-purchase symbols that you sent.

The latest information about Nickels For Schools will be posted on this Web site. Or, you can call Kemps at 1-800-726-6455, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and speak with one of our consumer relations representatives.

To redeem qualifying milk caps and POP symbols for cash, complete a Kemps Nickels for Schools redemption form and enclose it with each shipment.  If your school wants to receive their Nickels For Schools check before school closes for the summer, shipments must be postmarked by the second Friday in April each year.  Checks are not mailed over the summer.  Schools may ship caps and POPS year-round.  For shipments postmarked later than the second Friday in April each year, check processing will resume in the first week of September.  All submissions are subject to verification. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for the verification process.

Kemps strongly encourages schools to redeem at least 2,000 caps/proof-of-purchase symbols at a time. This will assure that your school receives a check for at least $100. The maximum amount a school can earn per year is $10,000.

There are lots of different ways! For example, an art class could design a unique receptacle to hold the collected milk caps and proof-of-purchase symbols. Or your PTA could hold a "milk and cookie" drive. Once your school is enrolled, we'll send you an Activity Kit that includes ideas you can use as a starting point.

Anything you want! Buy books or supplies. Take your students on a field trip. Pay for sporting or drama equipment. Schools have the discretion to determine how the money is spent.

You can determine how active your school becomes in Nickels For Schools. For best results (that is, to collect as many caps as possible to raise as much money as possible and have fun doing it), we recommend that your school distribute information to students, parents and your school community; provide a place to drop the caps and proof-of-purchase symbols; and assign a school coordinator who will count and send the caps to the redemption center. Once you enroll, we'll send you an Activity Kit providing you with the information and ideas you'll need to successfully participate in Nickels For Schools.

Enrollment is open to any accredited K-12 public, private or parochial school. Schools must have a 501(c)(3) or 509(a)(1) tax-exempt designation to be eligible.

It's easy! Just fill out the enrollment form included in the coordinator's kit, and mail or fax it to Kemps (the address and fax number appear on the enrollment form). Or, you can enroll online by visiting www.kemps.com and navigating to the Promotions page.  There you will find program information including an online enrollment form.

We have an allergen control program in our ice cream plant. However, we do NOT have a dedicated line for nut containing products. We recommend that you consult with your doctor regarding the risk.

If additional information is required, please contact Kemps Consumer Relations toll free at 1-800-726-6455.

Pasteurization is the process of heating raw milk to at least 145 degrees F and holding continuously for at least 30 minutes, or to at least 161 degrees F and holding for at least 15 seconds, in approved and properly operated equipment. The milk is then cooled promptly to 45 degrees F or lower.

Kemps products including milk, sour cream, cottage cheese and yogurt are gluten free. 

 Ice cream itself is gluten free but may contain inclusions which contain gluten.

Anyone looking for a gluten free product should avoid the following ice cream products:

• ice cream sandwiches
• ice cream cones 

Ice cream flavors which have the following inclusions contain gluten:

• apple crisp
• brownie batter
• brownie pieces
• cake pieces
• candies (may have a flour component that contains gluten)
• cheesecake
• cookie dough
• cookie pieces
• graham cracker
• pie pieces
• spumoni (the color contains gluten)

Products containing gluten are manufactured in the same manufacturing facility as gluten free products.   

Kemp’s has always had strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) to avoid cross-contact of our gluten free products with gluten and we continue to strengthen these practices.

The GMPs include employee training, strict raw material control, production schedule management and sanitation practices that include performing thorough equipment wash-downs to eliminate cross-contact of ingredients.

Oxidation causes an odd taste and vitamin (riboflavin) loss. The taste is usually described as bitter, stale, chemical or "like cardboard or plastic." Oxidation is caused by overexposure to light, usually fluorescent light in the store. It is more likely to happen with milk packaged in plastic cartons because light can penetrate the package.

Odor Absorption, because milk easily absorbs odors in the refrigerator, is another cause. Some culprits: Cantaloupe, onions and other produce. Always remember to reseal your container before returning it to the refrigerator.

Milk will curdle or smell/taste sour. Dairy products become bitter-tasting before they turn sour.

Homogenization is the process of breaking up milk fat into smaller globules, dispensing them permanently in a fine emulsion throughout the milk. This is done in a homogenizer where milk is forced under high pressure through very tiny openings.

Dairy products must be refrigerated between 33 degrees F and 40 degrees F. It is important to note that for every 2 degrees F rise in temperature, milk's shelf life is reduced by 50%. Pour out only the amount of milk you will use and return the container to the refrigerator immediately, resealing to prevent absorption of other flavors. Do not pour milk that has been standing at room temperature back into the container. Store it separately in a covered container.

They are ingredients used to provide a smooth, creamy texture and are derived from soybeans.

They are only natural vanilla bean specks.

When properly refrigerated, between 33 and 40 degrees F., Kemps Cottage Cheese will retain its wholesomeness for one week past the date printed on the edge of the lid.  This freshness statement also appears on the surface of Kemps Cottage Cheese lids, in the lower left-hand section of the lid.

Frozen desserts may be kept as long as 3 months (unopened) if stored at 0 degrees.  Once opened, ice cream can remain fresh for about 3 weeks. Avoid storing ice cream in the front end of the freezer, near the door, where it is constantly exposed to fluctuations in temperature.

Never more than 0 degrees F.

When properly refrigerated, between 33 and 40 degrees F., Kemps Sour Cream will retain its wholesomeness for one week past the date printed on the edge of the lid.  This freshness statement also appears on the surface of Kemps Sour Cream lids, in the lower left-hand section of the lid.

Heat Shock occurs when ice cream is allowed to warm and is then refrozen. Ice crystals form as frozen water melts and then refreezes. The ice cream can have a "sandy" or "gritty" texture as ingredients begin to separate. Ice cream needs to be kept colder than normal frozen foods to prevent ice crystal formation; the optimal temperature is -15 degrees F or colder.

Yes, to make whipping cream pre-chill both the mixing bowl and the mixing beaters.
Pour 2/3 cup of heavy cream into the chilled bowl, add 2 teaspoons of sugar (preferably confectioners').
Beat with a mixer until smooth and thick. Fold in a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.  Enjoy!

Milk is an excellent source of calcium and Vitamin D. It's also a good source of other nutrients, such as protein and phosphorus that are necessary for strong bones and good health. Milk doesn't have to be fattening. If you're concerned about fat in milk, don't be. Kemps Fat Free Milk is a delicious and nutritious beverage choice.

30% RDI of calcium represents 300 milligrams of calcium per 8-ounce serving of milk.  The amount of calcium in each type of milk varies slightly.  Eight ounces of Vitamin D milk contains 290 milligrams of calcium.  Eight ounces of 2% milk contains 297 milligrams of calcium.  Eight ounces of 1% milk contains 300 milligrams of calcium.  Eight ounces of skim milk contains 302 milligrams of calcium.  The reason that minerals vary with fat type is that the minerals are part of the milk solids, NOT the fat in the milk.  As the fat goes down, milk solids go up.

First off, it's important to try to work in milk, since it's a source of calcium and vitamin D, which the body needs to absorb calcium. If you don't like the taste of dairy products try disguising them. For example, whip up a fruit smoothie from milk, bananas, and ice in the blender, or a large decaffeinated café latté or cappuccino, which is made with lots of milk. Try cooking with dairy products, such as cottage cheese.  You could eat more leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, but it would take 7.5 cups of cooked broccoli a day to get the same amount of calcium in 3 glasses of milk (and you wouldn't be getting the vitamin D).   Remember, you need at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day, about the amount found in three servings of dairy products. If you're not getting that much, you may need a supplement, as well as supplemental vitamin D.

There are 100 International Units of Vitamin D in Kemps skim, 1%, 2% and Vitamin D milk.  International Units represents 25% RDI.

When frozen and thawed, most dairy products will separate and become watery and discolored.