When two entrepreneurial couples moved to Laos for a year out of their busy lives, little did they expect they would start up together in a completely new venture.
Cheese-loving Rachel O’Shea and Susie Martin asked for buffalo curd one day (a favourite from time spent in Sri Lanka) but were met with blank looks, there being no concept of milk-based products in Laos (It is too hot for dairy cows). Buffalo were kept to work, to fertilise the land and for meat, but had never been milked. In fact, when Rachel and Susie spoke of yogurt, people thought it came from fruit (a sensible misconception when you think where coconut milk comes from).
Realising that here was a business opportunity, the two women, together with their partners, Matt and Steve, watched YouTube videos on milking buffalo, borrowed some animals and milked them (watched by a large crowd of incredulous locals). Rachel, a chef, then set about turning the milk into yogurt, mozzarella, ice-cream and cheesecake. On being sent samples of the products, hotels in Luang Prabang asked when they could place their orders.
The business was viable, but the four were keen to not merely provide a living for themselves, but also to help the local community. The local farmers receive rent for the land the dairy uses and a steady income for the use of their buffalo. Pregnant buffalo are looked after by the dairy and milked once a day when the calves are born (to allow the mothers enough milk to feed the calves too). All pregnant buffalo and their calves are vaccinated and returned to the farmers in better condition than previously.
The staff are taught English (the dairy brings in tourists too) which has led to the local children having English lessons as well.
A recent initiative has been to encourage local mothers to add buffalo milk to their children’s rice. Forty per cent of children under the age of two are under-nourished in Laos and buffalo milk is the perfect supplement being higher in protein, lower in lactose and higher in fat than cows’ milk.
After an extensive tour of the farm we were ready for some lunch in the restaurant and what could be better than tomatoes and mozzarella followed by buffalo ice-cream. The whole meal was delicious, although not quite the same as what we’ve had in Italy.
Tortoise Travel 