New project for dairy entrepreneurs to be - Milk

TRADE
New project for dairy entrepreneurs
to be launched
by Karien Slabbert
Three aspiring businesswomen will soon have the capacity to pasteurise and distribute quality
milk in their respective communities. The Department of Trade and Industry’s Technology for
Women in Business (TWIB) initiative and Milk-Pro International have joined forces to help these
women set up shop.
Production at the first site is set to kick off by
early August 2006, with the other two ­production
sites following shortly thereafter.
In the flagship project, funded by TWIB, each
woman will receive a Milk-Pro pasteurisation
unit. Milk-Pro will provide, install and commission the equipment, train operators on its proper
use and maintenance – including a 12-month
maintenance contract on the equipment, says
owner and manager of Milk-Pro International,
Greg Haylle Dick. More importantly, Milk-Pro
will also assist business owners in establishing
­sustainable companies.
According to Haylle-Dick, his company will
assist in mentoring for business owners, ­training
in best business management and reporting
practices. They will also help establish raw milk
supply contracts and set up pasteurised milk
supply contracts with schools, hospitals, ­clinics
and prisons. The project aims to ensure that
business owners are assisted in every possible
way to make their companies sustainable.
A public-private initiative
TWIB seeks to provide existing and aspiring
­businesswomen with access to science and technology. The initiative aims to accelerate business
growth through partnerships, ­ education, training
and mentoring. Its mission is to assist women who
want to start or expand their own businesses, by
using technology where possible.
As TWIB is actively involved in the agriculture
and agri-business sector, the opportunities the
Milk-Pro pasteurisation system present, provide
for a perfect fit, says Haylle-Dick. “The pasteurisation system is designed to process relatively
small daily volumes of milk. It offers small-scale
A woman from Guinea-Bissau learns how to
operate the Milk-Pro pasteurisation system
dairy farmers and/or entrepreneurs the opportunity to produce high-quality, pasteurised milk
with minimum capital outlay, and supply it to
­local markets at an affordable price.”
The next step
Market research will be conducted in each of
the three regions where the businesses will be
­situated. “This is to ensure that the ­businesses
are well-located and equipped to produce ­quality
products at acceptable prices. The ­ business
sites will also be renovated to comply with local
health department regulations.”
Each candidate will receive her own Milk-Pro
unit. The three candidates will also draw up milk
supply contracts with existing dairy farmers in
the area. The Milk-Pro equipment will then be
THE DAIRY MAIL • August 2006 117
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installed and commissioned, with staff ­ training
on its proper usage. Packaging will also be
­designed with individual logos.
Project background
Milk-Pro International initially approached TWIB
with a business proposal to use the Milk-Pro ­
system as a vehicle to start small-scale milk
­processing operations. The company ­proposed
a franchise or partnership model, where
­emerging farmers could either produce 1 000
litres of raw milk per day or buy it from existing milk ­producers. Pasteurisation units are then
placed in areas where affordable quality milk is
not readily available. The milk is then sold to
consumers in the immediate vicinity.
TWIB was impressed by the possibilities the
Milk-Pro partnership concept offered and ­decided
it fits well with their stated ­mission. Suitable candidates were then sought to sponsor with Milk-Pro
systems. Thus far, a list of potentials has been
whittled down to three suitable candidates (two
from Gauteng and one from ­KwaZulu-­Natal).
An ambitious plan
“Hopefully once the teething problems are ironed
out with the three starting candidates, the MilkPro partnership concept will gather momentum
and will attract more attention from the ­national
and regional departments of agriculture.” More
partnerships will hopefully be rolled out in each
of the nine provinces, and not necessarily
­restricted to women, Haylle-Dick says. TDM
The Milk-Pro pasteurisation system was
designed and developed in South Africa. Here
Greg Haylle-Dick, owner and manager of
Milk-Pro International, helps locals from
Guinea-Bissau install pasteurisation equipment
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