FORT MILL, SC (WBTV) – A door-to-door milk delivery business is being hit hard by rising costs.

He says the light at the end of the tunnel is dwindling day by day. So they reach out to their existing customer base to help them stay afloat.

Lakeview Farms delivers milk to families from Fort Mill all the way to Waxhaw, but with prices steadily rising, they feel they may have to close those trucks for good.

It was an idea from the 1700s, door-to-door milk delivery.

“It was kind of a whim. My daughter wanted to get into a type of business,” says Jim Price, President and Owner.

Thus Lakeview Farms was born and 20 years later this whim turns out to be a successful business.

“People called us and said we didn’t get our mail today because of the snow, but we got our milk,” Price said.

Price has a ton of passion for the milk business, but it hasn’t been easy.

“That’s just the challenge of small businesses per se coming up against huge big box stores,” he says.

The final challenge – rising costs. Price says everything from food and their signature glass bottles to the gas they fill their trucks with has skyrocketed.

“Your vet has to pay more to come to the farm for fuel. When the tractor you use to work your farm skyrockets, double. Electricity goes up or the cost of energy goes up,” he explains .

They eat, or in this case drink, all those costs.

“For over 20 years we kind of hung on when we needed to, but there comes a time when you don’t see a bright future,” Price says.

That’s why Lakeview is calling on customers who love their products for help. In a flyer sent to them, they are calling March Milk Madness this month in hopes of getting 50 new customers.

“I’m pretty sure if we don’t get 50 clients or something close in the next two months, there’s a good chance we’ll close our business,” he says.

Price says it’s a heavy hitter, but he hopes his customers will pass.

“It’s uplifting to see people care about our business and our ability to survive,” Price said.

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