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''.