Hudson Milk – the area’s iconic milk delivery service for more than 30 years –  has expanded into a full food company, selling produce, meat, dairy, prepared entrees, meal kits, pantry items, and more. The pivot from a milk delivery service to full-scale food company recently earned Hudson Milk + Market the Business of the Year Award from the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce.

Hudson Milk + Market has operated from its new home at the Hat Factory on Division Street in Peekskill since 2021. In 2022, it rebranded and changed its name to Hudson Milk + Market to reflect its expanded list of products. Customers can shop in-store or online through home delivery.

In order for a business to qualify for the Business of the Year Award they need to have developed and grown into a thriving business. Nominations will be evaluated on the following criteria: growth in business volume, innovativeness of product or service provided, evidence of contribution and commitment to the community.

In this video produced for the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce’s Business of the Year award presentation, the couple behind the company, Tom and Cindy Rubino, tell their family history through the lens of the business.

With a mission of bringing clean food options from locally sourced farms and family-owned suppliers, its 600 products are free from additives and chemicals, and sourced from farms that use sustainable practices and treat their animals humanely, according to the Rubinos.

“We’re connecting people with good food to eat,” says Cindy. “We want to make it easy for people to eat real food. We’re doing a great thing for customers and suppliers by connecting people with those who are making real food.”

“We love what we do and we’re very passionate about this mission,” she adds. Tom’s parents, Tom and Therese, started the business in 1993, with a vision of bringing back the milkman and connecting people to locally sourced food. They wanted to help the environment in the process, according to Tom.

Tom and Cindy, who took over the business in 2012, are fulfilling that same mission, expanding on it to include more than just milk. The couple also wants to raise awareness for healthy eating, especially sharing their insights on all the additives and chemicals found in food. They also want to dispel myths about processed food, for example, that the soy and high-fructose corn syrup that are found in many products are good for you. In addition, seed oils like vegetable and canola oil, are highly inflammatory, Cindy adds.

“If you can’t pronounce it, then you shouldn’t be consuming it,” she says with a smile.

While milk and egg delivery is still a large part of the business, Hudson Milk + Market delivers all of its products for a $5.99 fee and a minimum order of $15. Shoppers can also come into the store and do their own shopping on Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The expansion to include more food products was a result of meeting market need, according to the Rubinos. “We have customers who used to be my parents’ home delivery customers,” says Tom. “As their kids got older and went to college, the family wasn’t drinking as much milk anymore.” Customers showed interest in buying a wider variety of items, he adds.

The Putnam Valley couple says they like making it easy for people who don’t have the time or interest to read the fine print on food labels to know that Hudson Milk + Market does the work for them by selling clean food.

Cindy, the mother of four, is a certified functional nutrition consultant, who distributes a monthly newsletter about clean eating.  She’s also enrolled in a health coaching program from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City.

Tom has spent years researching and partnering with farms and suppliers that meet his high standards for food quality.

Hudson Milk + Market works with sources like Battenkill Valley Creamery in Salem, N.Y., and local companies including Peekskill Coffee, Dam Good English Muffins, Aya Humus, and Baked by Susan in Croton, among others.

They sell gluten-free cookies, waffles, crackers, breads, ready-to-bake items, meal kits, seasoning packets for meals like chicken cacciatore or beef stew, and much more. The beef it sells comes from grass-fed cows, which Tom says provides a more nutritional higher quality cut of meat.

The Rubinos are eager to continue expanding the business. “We really want to grow,” they say, “to expand our home delivery footprint and introduce more people to the brands.”

“When people come in to the market, they say, ‘Wow! This is great. You have brands you can’t find anyplace else.’  We keep trying to reach more and more people.”

The market at the warehouse is open Friday from  10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 am to 2 p.m. Hudson Milk + Market is at 1000 N. Division Street, Suite 21, Peekskill.