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Worker quits normal job to become milkman

Posted at 5:36 PM, Oct 27, 2014
and last updated 2014-10-27 17:36:03-04

Portland, OR (KPTV) — An Oregon man is ditching his corporate job to bring back an old way of life missing in Portland for decades. Scott McDonald is bringing dairy to the doorstep once again.

“Traditions are important,” said McDonald, founder of Local Farmers Delivery.

“It’s great. We can see their white trucks and hats, and tell they’re coming from a mile away,” said customer Crystal Gwyn.

“We deliver from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m., and there are literally people stopping us at red lights. And they jump out and want to take pictures,” said McDonald.

His biggest problem is getting people to believe he’s the real deal.

“It’s the same thing from everybody. They say, ‘Are you really the milkman?'” said McDonald.

The truth is, he’s about as real as real can be, all the way down to his hat and suit.

“What’s the old saying? Image is everything,” laughed McDonald.

McDonald and his buddy Mark are bringing back an old way of life, a reminder of the way things were.

“I was just excited. It reminded me of when my girls were little and when I was little,” said customer Christie Hogueisson. “We had the white box, and the Alpenrose guy came by, this is just like that.”

And just as they did then, McDonald does now.

“We deliver the basic essentials, things people run out of, milk, bread, eggs, coffee, OJ,” said McDonald. “The good news is, the milkman is back.”

“Everyone’s been asking about it, and we’ve been telling people about it,” said Gwyn. “Now, you can see the blue bags out every week, and everyone is excited to put the bag out.”

“They come right to the door. It’s here first thing in the morning, and I can know to expect it every morning,” said customer Kirsten Clute.

McDonald has heard and seen it all in his time. But, under his watch, nothing gets past him.

“One night, as I’m driving by, I see a body halfway out the window with his feet hanging out. I think to myself, this doesn’t look right,” said McDonald. “I called 911, and it turns out I stopped a break in.”

He does it for the people and for the local product.

“I think it’s important to support 100-year-old companies,” said McDonald, and at the end of the day, his Dad, the face of his company.

“I think he’s probably pretty proud,” said McDonald. “When I have tough days, I look at that, and it inspires me to pick myself up by bootstraps. And it motivates me.

It’s a bit of nostalgia, in a glass of milk.

“That’s a pretty neat thing because our lives move so fast now,” said Gwyn.

“It’s just a little part of tradition,” said McDonald.

McDonald delivers all over the Portland metro area, and just expanded his business to Beaverton.