Globally, milk producers report around 20% rise in demand for camel milk as more consumers shift from cow to camel milk, to help boost immunity. Known for its anti-inflammatory, strong protective proteins, anti-microbial and nutritious value; parents seek camel milk for children.
CEO of camel dairy Good Earth Dairy, Marcel Steingiesser, once worked as a chemical engineer at BHP so how did he end up milking camels and drinking camel milk daily?
Good Earth Dairy experiencing exponential demand
Australia has the world’s largest herd of wild camels and their population is estimated to be about 3,00,000, spread across 37% of the Australian mainland.
The demand for camel milk in the US and Asia increases due to its health benefits (it’s high in vitamin C and iron) and there are not enough camels available to meet the demand.
Camel milk retails for around $19 a litre in Asia. And in SIngapore a litre costs around $19 compared with just over $4 for two litres of cow milk.
“Our intention for Good Earth Dairy is to be a major disruptor to the US$6 billion camel milk industry. We have the opportunity to make the best camel milk,” Steingiesser said.
“Australia has an incredible reputation in food quality safety standards and that’s a great opportunity for all camel dairies in Australia.” he continues.
Good Earth Dairy domesticates wild camels
Camels have caused considerable damage in the Australian outback since they were introduced in the 1840s. The wild herds grow at about 8% per annum and are culled in remote areas.
“We are able to access wild camels which enables us to expand,” says Steingiesser.
Good Earth Dairy are looking to equity raise to expand their operations by allowing the company to fund the initial construction and approvals of their niche 5000 head dairy and enable the acceleration of Good Earth Dairy’s growth and also increase the company’s value
Good Earth Dairy has the capability to sell on average $10AUD per litre throughout Australia with 300g tins of powder selling for over $100AUD in China. Good Earth Dairy’s Intellectual Property has the opportunity to bring production costs down to less than $2AUD per litre.
The IP created includes the capability to rapidly and efficiently scale to more than 3 million litres yearly per designed module.
Good Earth Dairy will continue to innovate to become the lowest-cost producer of high-quality camel milk globally, through efficient scalable Agri-technology processes achieved by their commitment to research and development.
“Scale is key to getting production costs lower,” said Steingiesser. He’s drawing on his experience as a former chemical engineer at BHP in the push to get costs down to A$2 a litre.
