The udder option

Tired of adulterated milk, two young entrepreneurs come up with a healthier alternative for consumers

On a 60-acre dairy farm near Satara, some 500 hybrid cows roam around freely. The farm, located about 325 km from Mumbai, is their home where they are pampered with good quality fodder, oilseeds, pesticide-free grass, greens, alfalfa and plenty of water. The milch cows reared in this pollution-free environment respond by giving milk that is both tastier and healthier.

This is the farm from where Rahul Jain and Anmol Trikannadsource the milk for their organic milk brand, Doctor Moo. While pursuing a master's course in business administration from the Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business (ISB), the two felt that the milk they were consuming wasn't pure enough. So they decided to do something about it. And Doctor Moo, a milk distribution startup that offers organic milk, was born.

In December 2013, 28-year-old Jain and Trikannad, a 31-year-old graduate from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, launched Doctor Moo. Today, Doctor Moo supplies nutritious milk certified by Ecocert as being environmentally friendly. The milk is sold in pilfer-proof pouches to a range of people, including film stars, corporate honchos and household's with growing children in Mumbai, its suburbs and the neighbouring Navi Mumbai.

"Milk is an integral part of every Indian household, be it the morning cuppa or a night cap," says Trikannad. "But unfortunately, there is no guarantee of the purity of such a popular food item. The increased incidences of adulteration of milk, both at pre- and post-production stages, really bothered us. To enhance milk production, cows are routinely subjected to antibiotics and growth hormones. We wanted to step back in time and adopt the methods used till, say, about four decades ago. We wanted to go back to basics, you might say. That was the genesis of our brand, Doctor Moo."

A nation-wide study of milk by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, in fact, found that 70 per cent of milk samples did not conform to standards. The adulterants used are urea, detergent, harmful chemicals, filthy water and several other contaminants. Adulterated milk seized by Food and Drug Authority, Mumbai, has often tested positive for starch, sodium and glucose.

Experts warn that regular consumption of adulterated milk over a prolonged period can permanently damage the vital organs through slow poisoning. According to food safety standards, adulteration includes not only externally and intentionally added adulterants, but also unintentionally or incidental contamination during the period of growth, harvesting, processing, transportation and distribution.

This is where Doctor Moo decided to bring in the change. Doctor Moo's milk is tested for 100 contaminants at Pune's TUV Nord lab. The next step is to ensure hygienic and nutritious milk with minimal human intervention. The young entrepreneurs have achieved this by developing a unique packaging system - it is pouches that change colour. The inside of the milk pouch changes colour once opened. "The pouches are specially customised and are totally tamper proof," says Jain. "They are recyclable too," adds the former investment banker who has worked with Deutsche Bank in cities like Mumbai, Singapore and Hong Kong and is also an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology-Bangalore.

Jain and Trikannad started out with supplying 20 litres of milk a day. Today, they supply 1,200 litres daily. The demand is increasing despite the price. Doctor Moo milk is premiumly priced at Rs 60 a litre as opposed to about Rs 37 a litre for Mahananda toned milk and Rs 36 a litre for Amul toned milk.

"People who love quality life will opt for pure milk delivered by groups like Sarda Farms, Doctor Moo and others," says Jaidev Mishra, the marketing head of Nashik-based Sarda Farms, which also promises pure natural cow's milk. "People don't mind paying slightly extra for a good product. We provide guaranteed good milk. And both of us don't advertise. Such products are marketed solely through word-of-mouth. But we need more players in this field to change the pure milk scenario."

In the beginning, Doctor Moo was publicised through presentations in playschools during parent-teacher meets and at stalls with milk pouches filled in ice boxes during Diwali festivities in schools. "We credit our growth to references from family, friends and Facebook presence," says Jain, adding that a sizeable chunk of the clientele includes senior citizens and mothers with growing children.

Besides promising zero adulteration and being rich in antioxidants, Omega 3 and calcium, Jain and Trikannad claim the milk can be consumed without boiling. Untouched by human hands, the entire process is highly automated in order to check adulteration.

While working on the project, the two visited dairy farms and milk chilling plants in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolhapur, Nashik and Ratnagiri to study how the farms managed their business processes and maintained hygienic surroundings.

"We found that there were incidences of adulteration at every stage - before, during and after milking," says Trikannad. "Most of the milk in and around Mumbai comes from cooperatives made up of small dairy farmers. Even in the 21st century many of them still milk manually and in unhygienic surroundings where bacteria and other contaminants can be introduced."

The year-old, self-funded start-up follows what it calls 'the udder to kitchen' strategy. Jain and Trikannad have so far invested Rs 30 lakh in the venture. "Our business model has evolved from direct-to-home to one with multiple distribution channels previously unheard of in this space. It will further evolve as we look to introduce new products," says Trikannad.

Doctor Moo's cows are milked at 6 pm daily. The milk is then packed in pouches and arrives in Mumbai in cold vans. It is delivered to customers by 7.30 am the next day by delivery boys on bicycles and dabbawallas. The milk is stocked in organic product outlets in suburbs like Mulund, Wadala and Sea Woods (New Mumbai). "We insist on bicycle delivery as we believe in lessening our carbon footprints, at least in the last mile," says Jain.

Ask Jain whether the investment has paid off and he promptly says. "Yes. We exceeded our expectations in the first year itself. The past year was dedicated to testing the concept, introducing the brand and streamlining the operation. The goal for next year is to increase our coverage within and beyond Mumbai and introducing new product lines."

Trikannad, who grew up in New Zealand, is now revisiting the country which is at the forefront of the dairy industry. "Given the scope for dairy products in India, I am focusing my efforts on validating the market and products. I am looking at things we need to reinvent for the Indian market," he says.

Ask them what next and the duo chorus: "Our immediate goal is to notch 20,000 litres in Mumbai."