Family reviving local milk
Frustrated at working so hard to produce milk and it not being available locally, one family have turned back the clock and are delivering their own cows’ milk to your front door
REMEMBER the clinking of milk bottles as they arrived first thing in the morning? The whirr of electric floats, the multi-coloured foil tops? And, best of all, those cream lines which richly rewarded those first to open the bottle?
Glass milk bottles have now all but disappeared, and so have most of the milkmen who once delivered them.
Much of Britain’s milk is now shipped vast distances before arriving on the shelf, leaving many to bemoan the loss of doorstep deliveries of milk produced just down the road.
But now, in a first for north west Wales, one Pen Llŷn farming family is turning back the clock.
Last Monday Siôn Jones and wife Nia, of Madryn Isa, Boduan, began bottling milk from their own cows.
Liveried vehicles are offering doorstep deliveries, and branded containers of Llaethdy Llŷn’s fresh local bottled milk are already appearing in shops and in people’s fridges.
Some even contain pasteurised unhomogenised milk, giving those much-missed cream lines and a real taste of nostalia.
“It is an exciting time for us,” said Siôn.
“The very first plastic bottled milk is coming off the conveyer belt at our processing unit in Pwllheli – there is a great sense of satisfaction in seeing our own dairy herd’s milk in branded bottles.
“It is crazy to think that we, and other farms around us, work extremely hard to produce milk, but local milk is not available locally, as it once was, to buy.”
Investing in a new bottled milk venture was not a decision taken lightly.
However the family felt strongly it was essential to ensure the long term sustainability of their dairy farming business.
They milk a modest herd of 80 Holstein-Friesians cows and rent Madryn Isa from Gwynedd Council, with more rented land nearby.
Twelve months ago Siôn and Nia began researching their bold and exciting idea. In this they were fully backed by children Ela, 18, Tomos, 16, and Anna, 13, on whose futures the venture was conceived.
Support came from Cywain, the Menter a Busnes scheme which aims to bring nascent agri-food businesses to market.
Under the leadership of Cywain’s Nia Môn, they were advised on brand awareness, food labelling, health and hygiene, public relations and marketing.
“Cywain has been amazing,” said Nia, who not only milks on the farm, but also works part-time at Plas-Glyny-Weddw, Llanbedrog.
“Without its support we most cer- tainly would not have reached this mammoth goal for our small family business.”
Working closely with Llangefni’s Food Technology Centre at Coleg Menai, the family learned how to use the new bottling plant machinery – the pasteuriser, homogeniser and separator.
A specially adapted unit was rented at Pwllheli to process the milk and two new staff members, both local, joined the family team.
For the time being South Caer- narfon Creameries (Hufenfa De Arfon) will continue to take some of Madryn Isa’s milk.
But once the Pwllheli bottling plant reaches full production, it will have a capacity of nearly 10,000 pints of milk per week.
“That figure is a long way off at the moment,” admitted Siôn.
“But the signs are positive as numerous local businesses and communities have pledged their support.
“It infuriates me that the people of Pen Llŷn sit down for their breakfast cereal in the morning and pour milk that has travelled the length and breadth of England’s roads, crossing Offa’s Dyke to get to Pen Llŷn!
“It makes no sense at all, as Welsh farmers work hard every day to produce quality fresh milk.”
Now that all the staff training has been undertaken, the business has received its unique UK milk processing number.
Professional branding on the 500ml, 1 litre and 2 litre bottles was designed by Gwynedd company Gringo Design.
It’s based on Madryn Isa’s original wooden butter mould.
“It’s part of the farm’s heritage, and brings a real sense of agricultural tradition to the products,” said Nia.
“Even though we’re going back to those good old days when milk was produced locally, we’re also bringing the process right up to the 21st century. The brand shows a dairy cow, lush grass and the oats associated with this area. It also refers to the local river, Afon Geirch, that surrounds Madryn Isa.”
● Llaethdy Llŷn’s milk will be available in local shops and via doorstep delivery. It offers whole, half-skimmed, skimmed and non-homogenised in all the usual sizes. Visit www.llaethdyllyn.com