DRAKEMIRE Dairy, Hamilton, which currently processes 21 million litres
of milk a year, has set itself the target of becoming the Scottish
powerhouse for long-life UHT milk.
With a #250,000 investment in new plant, financed by the Clydesdale
Bank, it is well on the way to achieving that ambition. It is also into
long-life full-cream milk and the provision of individual catering packs
for airlines and hotels.
This specialisation is part of a strategy designed to keep Drakemire
in the forefront of its chosen sector of the milk market. The dairy is a
partnership headed by brothers Douglas and John Edmunds and
brother-in-law Kevin Connelly, who is production manager.
Drakemire describes itself as the fifth largest dairy in Scotland. In
a very competitive business it has decided to try to avoid a
head-to-head clash with the big boys of the trade such as Wisemans or
Hamiltons Dairies.
Instead, it operates as an integrated creamery, making a variety of
products under one roof, including butter and yoghurt as well as skimmed
milk, whole milk and its long-life specialities.
''What we have decided to do is to sell milk in its constituent
parts,'' said Douglas Edmunds. That includes churning out -- literally
-- 12 tonnes of butter every week. Its production method is based on a
modern-day version of the old farmhouse churn and the product, it has
been told, is of gold-star standard. Drakemire butter sells through
supermarkets and corner shops and is also supplied in bulk to some of
Scotland's leading bakery factories.
The doorstep market for the daily pinta is on the decline, said
Douglas Edmunds, and the firm does not compete on that front. It still
has a significant corner-shop trade both for milk and butter. It is the
long-life product that is its hope for the future, however, with the
Kwiksave supermarket chain as a main customer on a UK-wide basis.
Drakemire, which started from milk rounds built up in Castlemilk by
Douglas and John's father, is a major customer of Scottish Milk. It was
one of those who opted to go for a long-term contract although it sees
the new system of selling milk as one intended to suit the farmers
rather than the processors.
''Nobody on the trade side likes this new system,''said Douglas
Edmunds. ''On the one hand you cannot just phone up and ask for 10
tanker loads of milk. But if you lose a customer and don't need all the
milk you are contracted for you are in trouble.''
Looking to the future, he sees his company increasingly going for
value-added products such as the long-life milks or ice-cream mixes. One
thing he will be steering clear of is cheese, because ''it ties up too
much capital''.
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