Retailers Get Caught Up in the Raw-Milk War

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But, he adds, "I have to toe the line or I lose my livelihood… I'll never get my father paid back" on the loan he and some of his friends made for Tommy and his partner to buy the store in 2001. How much is that? "I don't even want to say."

Have Milk, Will Travel

"As a citizen, I want to fight, but as a businessman, I can't," York says. He's especially upset with Michigan, the state he so loves. "I feel like my own people have turned on me. I want the Agriculture Dept. to help me. Their tactics are so heavy-handed. They could have just rang us up and told us they want to meet with us. They could have said, 'We have some concerns,' and we could make some adjustments in how this is handled. This whole sting thing is ridiculous."

In the meantime, the co-op members who congregated in back of his store every week are no longer there, which has cost the store business. There was talk among co-op members of erecting a tent in an adjoining parking lot where they could pick up their produce, but York says his lawyer advised him to back away. "Our attorney said we shouldn't have Richard there until they finish their investigation and we see what their actions are." So Hebron and the cooperative are still searching for an alternative site from which to distribute the weekly goods to members, unless or until Michigan authorities come up with specific charges.

Meanwhile, 250 miles to the west, in Chicago, Paula Companio is feeling the heat from the investigation as well, even though, unlike York, she hasn't been specifically targeted. For six years, she has been the owner of True Nature Health Foods, a 3,000-square-foot store in an upscale North Side neighborhood. Richard Hebron has been distributing goods to 100 or so co-op members every couple of weeks from her store, and she has allowed him to do so for the same reasons as York.

Intimidation Tactics

Last Monday, she told Hebron not to use her store out of fear of having raw milk on the premises. So he kept his refrigerated truck running for a few hours and serviced customers directly from the vehicle.

Companio is passionate about "my belief in the utmost of [agricultural] sustainability. We need to support our Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin farmers." While she says she has been too busy to consult with a lawyer about her specific rights, she has decided, "Now that the government is cracking down, I can't take the risk" of allowing Hebron to use her store.

So Hebron continues working with the distribution outlets and stores that will work with him, as the investigation continues. But York worries that the government's intimidation tactics against the farms and small businesses will take their toll eventually in the form of business casualties. "It's death by a thousand cuts," he says.

(David E. Gumpert continues to follow the specifics of the investigation at his blog, www.thecompletepatient.com.)

Gumpert is author of Burn Your Business Plan! What Investors Really Want from Entrepreneurs and How to Really Start Your Own Business. His Web site is www.davidgumpert.com.