The drive from Philadelphia to Ithaca, New York is a four-hour trek that carves upwards through a lush green landscape on route 476. As a Philadelphia resident, I took the chance to roll down my windows and slowly inhale the sweetness of a mid-Atlantic August without the pollution of the city creeping in. I pushed play on a podcast about the Golden State Killer — which is somehow relaxing to me — with my camera and camping gear in tow.

My trip to the Finger Lakes region of New York served two purposes, the first being a much-needed catchup with my childhood friend, Katie. Although we went to separate high schools, attended different — and multiple — colleges, and lived in distant cities, our friendship survived in the way you promise it will while writing your 12th-grade yearbook messages.

After much debate around my coffee table six months prior to my trip upstate, Katie decided to take on the role of Marketing Director at a small goat farm just outside of Ithaca in Interlaken, New York. Years of freelance work and friendship with the owners of the farm paid off in the form of a career made for Katie, one that balanced her marketing know-how with her willingness to get her hands dirty. Shortly after she arrived back in Ithaca, Katie accepted her new role at Lively Run Dairy. 

Katie’s career change eventually brought me to the second purpose of my trip. In her incredible tendency to turn things upside down for the sake of growth (we’re talking about the girl who took a month-long trip to Switzerland just to learn the cheese trade), Katie wanted a new set of promotional photos and a branded video tell the story of Lively Run Dairy. This farm wasn’t just the quintessential mom-and-pop farm so typical of the Finger Lakes area. Lively Run Dairy had been in operation for years as a staple of the Interlaken community.

With ownership passing down to Katie and the owners’ two sons, Pete and Dave, the trio had to think of new ways to not only expand their operation but to position Lively Run Dairy as a major foodie destination in the Finger Lakes area and to serve their community through artisanal cheese.

Equipped with the intention of growth and brand positioning, Katie and I worked together throughout the weekend to create a video and a set of images that could effectively usher in a new era at Lively Run Dairy while honoring the history of hard work it took to get there. 

Learn more about Lively Run Dairy and support their mission to provide delicious artisanal cheese by visiting the Lively Run website.