Healthy Cows

You can't get milk without a baby cow, so everything we do starts with these little ones. From the day of birth, our cows are treated to high standards of animal welfare.

The milk is from the traditional ‘naatu-pasu’ or indigenous variety that have a greater natural immunity to disease. Also, these cows produce A2 variety of milk, which is rich in good cholesterol (Omega-3 fatty acids).

Many dairy farmers use the black-and-white Jersey cow or the Holstein-Freisnan cow, which is bred more for its meat, high yields of milk and less for its ability to resist disease. Jerseys produce A1 variety of milk, which contains a poisonous chemical called ‘casomorphine’ and bad cholesterol, which clogs the blood vessels. It is also known to cause high blood pressure, autism, diabetes-1, and mental disorder in old age.

This also usually means a greater reliance on the routine use of antibiotics.

Cows are social animals, so on our organic farms we keep our calves in groups to let them make friends and groom each other. The female calves are kept for dairy. Males are called bull calves and are used for breeding when they are mature. If there are too many bull calves, they are exchanged for a female calf, with a farmer who needs a bull, to mate his cows.
Unlike a non-organic dairy farm, the animals here have more space which can reduce stress and they have the freedom to roam. We aim to keep the herd as stress-free as possible. It means when you buy organic milk, you can be sure it comes from high-welfare farms.

Chilled Out

We chill the milk to 4C within an hour from collection and keep it in controlled conditions on the farm, ready for collection.

This milk travels from the farm to the distribution point in the city, where it is filtered and cooled in line with storage requirements. We keep it at 4C so bacteria can't multiply and the milk is always safe to drink. Even in case of power cut (which is extremely rare), the coolers keep milk below 10C.

Cow's power diet

Apart from the lovely green pastures they graze on, they are fed farm-grown organic sugarcane, millets for energy, oil cakes for protein, hay for a cooling effect, and bran for good digestion. 95% of the feed is grown organically in the farm itself. The rest 5% is obtained from outside, so we cannot say the feed is 100% organic.

In glass bottles

The milk is brought to you in glass bottles, just like the good old days. We do this so that milk tastes good, and to keep it away from the dangerous toxins released by plastic containers. These toxins are known to cause Cancer, Infertility and Autoimmune disorder. There is no such thing as "safe plastic".

Antibiotics

Many non-organic, intensive farms use antibiotics to prevent possible infection, which can damage productivity. There is growing evidence that the routine use of antibiotics is linked to emergence of superbugs in animals, with potential long term unknown consequences for humans. For this reason, we never use antibiotics on our farms.

If the cows do get ill, their wellbeing is top priority, and - although we aim to stay away from antibiotics by using natural medicine- we will use them when the vet says there is no other option, when it is absolutely necessary. We would never compromise the welfare of our animals. If we do treat a cow with an antibiotic, she is milked separately until she recovers.

What does Organic mean?

Think of organic as a guaranteed standard.

As a result, we believe the milk we produce is the most pure and natural you can find, in all of Tamil Nadu, all the way from grass to glass.

Our farms are peaceful, serene places that work with, not against, nature. Crops and local wildlife are nurtured and used as natural assets to feed the land and prevent illness on the farm. Our cows are free-range. They spend most of their time roaming, eating and dozing outdoors, and only come in when the weather's too hot.

When you buy organic milk you are guaranteed: Free-range cows Natural diet No routine use of antibiotics No artificial, chemical fertilisers or herbicides are used on the farms High standards of animal welfare Farming that works with nature for maximum biodiversity

Why does organic cost more?

Our milk costs more simply because it costs the farmer more to produce it. Organic milk is a little more expensive than standard milk because making a product that's pure, produced naturally and guarantees the highest animal welfare isn't cheap or easy.

Specifically, organic cattle feed is more expensive, fewer cows are farmed per acre of organic land and the volume of milk each organic cow produces is at a lower, more natural, level.

This means the farmer has to charge more for the milk to cover his costs for feed, labour and volume.

What do the cows do all day?

Our cows have a daily routine designed to give them a higher-quality life. We stand by this principle - getting the best milk starts with happy, healthy cows. Our cows spend as much time as possible outside(when the weather is pleasant), grazing on rich pastures. It's important that, wherever they are, they are comfortable.

They spend a lot of their day lying down, chewing the cud and resting - this is always a good sign that the cows are content. Cows naturally form social groups. They like socialising with the same cows each day. They are found head butting each other playfully.

When the weather is hot, they come inside - they don't like to be out in the sun any more than we do. We shelter our cows in large open airy sheds, where they must have plenty of room to move around and communicate with each other. The cows are milked twice a day. Milking always happens at the same time: cows have a good natural body clock, so by having a regular structure to their day they know exactly what to expect.