Buffalo milk, cream of the crop
Buffalo might not be a New Zealand native, but the milk of the immigrant bovid is making its way into cafes and restaurants across the country.
It has double the fat and protein, more calcium and half the cholesterol of cow’s milk and is favoured by restaurant kitchens for its rich and velvety taste.
New Zealand has only a few buffalo farms, predominantly for producing cheese, but they are feeling the pressure to supply a growing market.
Auckland restaurant Orphans Kitchen has ditched cow’s milk entirely from its menu in favour of buffalo milk.
The restaurant purchases 20-litre pails from Whangaripo Buffalo Cheese Company north of Auckland.
‘‘It’s got a beautiful viscosity and silkiness when you use it. It’s just like cooking with full cream,’’ chef-owner Tom Hishon says.
Hishon says he believes it’s only a matter of time until the demand for buffalo milk will drive it onto supermarket shelves.
‘‘It’s pretty new in New Zealand, people are slowly coming onto it now. There’s already a bit of pressure [on buffalo farmers].’’
Clevedon Valley Buffalo Company was the first to use buffalo for dairy in New Zealand, importing 60 from Australia in 2007.
Helen Dorresteyn, with husband Richard, sold milk in stores for about $10 a litre last year, but has since stopped.
They use the milk for cheese and yoghurt, which is more viable and less wasteful. Buffalo produce less milk than cows, up to nine litres per beast, and the pasteurisation process wastes about 20 litres of the product.
They were selling the product for about $10 per litre.
‘‘We can’t suddenly turn around and dial up extra milk from somewhere else. We [sold milk] last year, it was a lovely product, but we need to make cheese,’’ Helen Dorresteyn says.
Whangaripo Buffalo Cheese Company owners Phil and Annie Armstrong
say restaurant demand for the milk is quite high, so much so it’s often at the expense of Whangaripo’s cheeses.
Once people try it, they often ask where it’s available but Whangaripo currently only supplies restaurants.
‘‘It doesn’t take much convincing people,’’ Phil Armstrong says.
There simply isn’t enough product to create the demand for the milk Armstrong says – each of his buffalo provides six litres of milk on average – so he wants to see more farmers getting involved.
‘‘The sooner it happens, the better.’’