By Rose Astley
A local Sunshine Coast company is expanding their market with a brand new bottled milk, produced and bottled right in the heart of the Mary Valley.
Kenilworth Dairies are hoping to launch the full cream milk as early as next month, and dairy lovers from Brisbane to Far North Queensland are expected to see it on suppliers’ shelves.
John Cochrane, who bought the 68 year old factory in 2017, said this is the final stage of his vision for the company, but it has not been an easy task.
Years of planning and approvals have gone into the initiative, the total cost is estimated at $1.2 million, though it is an investment aimed to get local dairy farmers more money in their pockets.
Kenilworth Dairies Chief of Tourism and Marketing Donna Dodson said that they are excited for more Australian dairy farmers benefit from Australian owned factories rather than offshore companies looking to line their pockets.
“Australian dairy farmers are not being paid a fair price for their milk, it’s really terrible,” Ms Dodson said.
“It’s really sad that these Australian dairy farmers are locked into these contracts and can’t get out of them, but as we expand we hope more of them can jump on board.”
For now, Mr Cochrane’s dairy cows are producing the milk, though there is hopes for more local dairy farmers to join forces as the initiative expands in the near future.
The timing could not be better for Kenilworth Dairies with more Australians than ever before demanding products locally and Australian made.
Ms Dodson said their product is not to take away from other Australian owned companies such as Maleny Dairies and Cooloola Milk, but to help consumers with the choice of more quality, local products.
“If you buy Maleny or Cooloola milk, that’s great and you should stay with them, that’s not why we’re here.
“What we’re trying to do is create more available Australian owned products, where the money stays 100 per cent in Australia,” Ms Dodson said.
The project, as it expands, will also allow the opportunity for more local jobs from truck drivers to factory workers to farm hands, Kenilworth Dairies themselves looking to put on another 24 staff over the next 12-24 months.
The full-cream milk will be available for purchase early to mid-July in one, two and three litre bottles, with non-fat milk production happening in the not too distant future.
