In a sea of imports, one dairy model is selecting native milk

Carmen’s Greatest, which started as a homegrown ice cream model in 2011, has grown right into a full-fledged dairy firm with a singular aim: to show that premium, proudly Filipino milk doesn’t have to stay a distinct segment superb.

MANILA, Philippines – Stroll via any grocery aisle or peer into any family fridge, and the imbalance is tough to overlook. Cabinets upon cabinets of imported milk manufacturers, whereas native choices seem virtually incidental, if current in any respect.

Solely about 1% of the milk consumed within the Philippines is produced regionally. The remainder is shipped in, processed elsewhere, and bought again to Filipinos as on a regular basis comfort. 

In a rustic wealthy with agricultural potential, this shortage factors to years of under-investment and a client tradition formed by what’s available reasonably than what’s regionally potential. And but, within the margins of this import-heavy panorama, one dairy model has been steadily pushing again.

Carmen’s Greatest, which started as a homegrown ice cream model in 2011, has since grown right into a full-fledged dairy firm with a singular aim: to show that premium, proudly Filipino milk doesn’t have to stay a distinct segment superb. By farm-to-table practices and an insistence on high quality over shortcuts, the model has challenged long-held assumptions about whether or not native dairy can compete in any respect. 

All the time, with intention and care

Carmen’s Greatest advocacy has at all times been clear: no shortcuts, simply pure milk. That dedication is as a lot a stance as it’s a course of in an business the place imported powders and preservatives are the norm.

The model operates two dairy farms, two dairy crops, and two ice cream crops throughout Laguna and Bukidnon, making it the biggest recent dairy enterprise within the Philippines. Its rising product line spans gourmand milk, ice cream, and Kesong Puti, that are merchandise that closely depend on freshness reasonably than shelf life as their predominant promoting level.

In keeping with Metro Pacific Agro Ventures chief business officer Toby Gatchalian, strengthening the native dairy business has been each a problem and a accountability. “Only one% of milk consumed within the Philippines is produced regionally, which implies many Filipinos have by no means really skilled recent, native milk,” he stated. 

As a substitute of lecturing customers about selecting native, Carmen’s Greatest determined to do one thing far more practical by making it scrumptious. Enter Carmen’s Greatest Milk Bar, a frozen deal with that blends the creaminess of recent milk with the comfort of an ice cream bar.

Made with 100% recent milk, free from pointless components, and containing 183 energy per serving, the Milk Bar supplies 12% of the advisable every day calcium consumption. Its easy, milk-forward profile additionally leaves room for creativity, whether or not paired with syrups, toppings, or loved by itself as a clear, bare canvas.

The launch additionally launched Carmen’s Greatest Milk Man, a personality set to seem at key Carmen’s Greatest places nationwide to deliver the Milk Bar’s expertise nearer to customers. It’s additionally an approachable and virtually playful method of claiming that dairy deserves extra consideration.

The Milk Bars retail for P88 every, with a field of six priced at P528. 

Selecting native, tasting higher

Carmen’s Greatest’s journey mirrors a bigger query dealing with Filipino customers: What occurs once we select native not out of obligation, however as a result of it’s genuinely good?

“There’s something particular about bringing dwelling a bottle of recent, Filipino milk — it nourishes households and helps native farmers,” Gatchalian shared. The sentiment feels embedded within the model’s long-term imaginative and prescient for Philippine dairy, and a reminder that consumption isn’t impartial; on a regular basis decisions form which industries survive and which stay invisible. 

In a market dominated by imports, Carmen’s Greatest doesn’t declare to have solved the issue of native dairy. The model, as a substitute, is proof of idea that when native milk is invested in, it doesn’t have to catch up. It merely wants an opportunity to wholly exist out there. – Rappler.com

Claire Masbad is a Rappler intern finding out AB Communication Arts at De La Salle College.