Built Out of Love: How Two Sisters Created a Super-Fast-Growing Yogurt Company

Travel to the rolling hills of northern Pennsylvania, and you’ll meet Hayley and Stephanie Painter who not only made the Forbes 30 under 30 list, but have also created one of the fastest growing yogurt company in the U.S. The sisters are on a mission to bridge the gap between consumers and farmers to help sustain family farms, including their own. 

Barefoot and Free 

The fourth-generation farm girls ran around—barefoot and free—with 13 cousins on their family dairy farm, Painterland Farms. The next generation is bigger yet—another 25 kids who are learning the same values and upbringing the generations before them did. 

Painterland Farms was owned by the sisters’ grandfather, John and Grandmother Lynda, and then passed down to their father, Clinton, and his two brothers, John and Brad. With a large family to feed and to help generate money to care for their cattle and land, the family always leaned into ways to help sustain the farm. 

In the early 2000s, the family switched to organic farming to take full advantage of the grazing opportunities that their land provides. 

Hayley says she always felt so rich growing up, despite not having enough money.

“My family and I always felt so wealthy with the opportunity to connect with the land and animals, family and community,” she says. 

Seeing several farms go out of business because of the economic strain, the girls were determined to create a sustainable market for their family’s dairy farm. 

Hayley and Stephanie admit that they didn’t leave the rolling hills area much, but knew the world was big and different. So, after high school, they ventured out—attending college—and traveling extensively. 

Travel Lessons 

Their goal was immediately defined—figure out a way they could come back to the farm and make a difference. Hayley lived on different farms and attended farmer’s markets in New York City to better understand what consumers were looking for. Stephanie traveled to over 20 countries and almost all 50 states with an open mind about how to connect the farm to the world and the world back to the farm. Together, the sisters took their findings and came together to develop Painterland Sisters.

“Yogurt is truly a niche because people eat yogurt every single day, so we can grow fast enough to support the farm,” Hayley says. 

The ultimate goal is to sustain not only their family farm but also other family farms in their local community.

“If we don't have the other farms, then our community won't be stable and that's not going to allow our farm to sustain itself either,” Hayley says. 

Processing Hurdles 

Six months after Painterland Sister's yogurt debuted, their coop mailed a letter on a Friday, stating Monday would be their last pick up. 

“This was during the pandemic when milk in our area was getting dumped and everyone was on pins and needles wondering if they’d have to sell their cows,” Stephanie noted. 

Thankfully, they found another coop who was willing to take them on while still being able to build out their yogurt brand. 

Today, the family farm milks 400 cows twice a day and utilizes a third of its milk to make yogurt and sells the remaining to their coop. 

The sisters note that 90% of the food on the grocery store shelves is owned by 10 companies. So, while they are proud that Painterland Sisters has become the fastest-growing yogurt company in the country, they realize their work isn’t over. 

“99% of new food brands that come to market go out of business,” Hayley points out. 

Nonetheless, the sisters are committed to driving their yogurt and dairy forward. Their Syr yogurt is a traditional Icelandic-style yogurt that is more nutrient-dense than other yogurts. 

“It has tons of protein and billions of probiotics,” Stephanie shares. “It’s naturally low in sugar.” 

Hayley shares that they work to provide transparent marketing. This means highlighting the nutrition and the story behind their product, including growing up on the family farm and how they care for their cows.

Forbes 30 under 30 

Their fast-growing brand also made Forbes magazine take notice, as Hayley and Stephanie were named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2023. A dream the sisters had for a long time, although the sisters nearly forgot to apply, as they have been so busy with the farm and the yogurt business.

“This is the last year we could get it together because Stephanie turns 30 next year," Hayley notes. 

The sisters share that it’s not always easy working alongside family, but they have realized through their travels just how many people are disconnected from their families. 

“We grew up very close with not only our immediate family but our extended family as well. Our Grandma would make big breakfasts that we would enjoy alongside our cousins every morning,” Hayley reminisces. 

"To work with your family is so wholesome. There's nothing that can compare. Although it might be harder, you always have someone in your back corner, you're doing it together. You're really building something intentional,” Hayley adds. 

Keeping the big picture in mind, the Painter sisters continue to work hard, putting one foot in front of the other, despite forgoing a paycheck for the first four years they started their yogurt business. With the help of over $1 million in funding through grants, the Painter Sisters yogurt is growing, and its future remains bright. 

“The brand will always be an extension of the farm,” Hayley says. “To carry this legacy and this lifestyle on is so important to us.” 

To learn more about Painterland Sisters yogurt, click on www.painterlandsisters.com