More Men Who Deliver Milk
By ELIZABETH JOHNSON
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: April 25, 2007)

Perhaps milk delivery isn't such an old-fashioned pursuit after all.

Last week, we ran a profile of five local companies that are delivering glass bottles of fresh milk to Rockland, Westchester and Putnam.

We got such a response to the story that we discovered we had overlooked three milk delivery companies: MJM Dairy, Westchester Dairy and Heathcote Dairy.

The three companies are related - sort of - and Matt Marone, the owner of MJM Dairy, is the linchpin. Marone is the cousin of Paul Langiulli, the owner of Heathcote, and the childhood friend of Nick Celentano, owner of Westchester Dairy. And Marone and Celentano have joined forces to create Direct Dairy, a new dairy delivery route that, in season, will also deliver products from Norwich Meadows Farm in Norwich, N.Y.

It sounds confusing at first, but consider this: Three of these companies are delivering on routes that have been around nearly as long as glass bottles.

"These three routes are the oldest in Westchester," says Marone. "The guys that we bought these routes from were doing it for 30 or 40 years."

Celentano, who serves about 300 homes and businesses, says his route is at least 45 years old. He bought it from a milkman who retired.

Marone says a lot of his customers can't believe he's the owner of a milk-delivery company - especially considering his young age: 31. But perhaps it's youth that keeps these three men so dedicated.

"Rain or snow, you can't miss a day," says Langiulli, who has been doing his route for 12 years. "You can't be sick - you just go. If it's going to snow, you go the day before. My customers know they can count on me."