Made By Cow ‘raw’ milk company goes into voluntary administration

A popular milk sold at Coles and Woolworths is no longer on sale as the company announces it has “gone into voluntary administration”.

A much-loved Australian milk brand has announced it has gone into voluntary administration, leaving loyal customers “devastated”.

Made By Cow was sold in Coles and Woolworths as well as independent retailers and had amassed a cult-customer base selling the “world’s first cold-pressed raw milk”.

The sale of unpasteurised milk has been banned in Australia since the 1940s, but advocates for “raw” milk claim it is more natural and safer for children – believing essential nutrients are destroyed in the pasteurisation process.

However the NSW-based business, owned by a number of shareholders including ROC Capital, Light Warrior Investments and Bega, was the first to use high cold water pressure technology rather than heat to kill harmful bacteria in its milk.

After a “long and exhaustive” process, the milk – sourced from a single herd of 300 Jersey cows – earned approval for sale by the NSW Food Authority in 2016.

Made By Cow, the world’s first cold-pressed raw milk, has gone into voluntary administration. Picture: Instagram/MadeByCow

Despite huge demand, which saw the company expand to over 300 retailers in 2019, Made By Cow has announced its range of raw milks were “gone” for good.

“It is with a heavy heart that we inform you that from yesterday, Made By Cow will be closing its doors and has gone into voluntary administration with KordaMentha appointed,” a statement from the brand’s CEO, Wade Porter, said.

“We are proud of our incredible journey and to have created a truly innovative product that was enjoyed by thousands of loyal customers.

“In recent years we have been on a strong trajectory with our business growing upwards of 50 per cent year-on-year.

“[But] In this climate of uncertainty, growing interest rates and inflation, the business has faced economic uncertainty and supply chain challenges and, as a result, the very tough decision has been made to cease production.”

A 1.5L bottle of the brand’s “Jersey milk” most recently retailed for $7.95, making it “the most expensive milk on the market”.

The ‘raw’ milk launched in 2016 after it was approved for sale by the NSW Food Authority. Picture: Richard Dobson

The brand was forced to up its prices in September last year due to “increasing costs for milk, freight and labour”, the brand said at time.

“Rising prices have been affecting everyone recently, and unfortunately our business has been impacted too,” a post on the Made By Cow Instagram page read.

“This was a hard decision, but something we had to do to not only remain a sustainable business, but to also ensure we pay a fair and premium price to our dairy farmers.

“For those of you that can stick with us, we thank you for your continued support.”

It was hailed as a “game changer” for the dairy industry and used the same high pressure processing (HPP) as is popular with “cold-pressed juice”.

The brand claimed using HPP to pasteurise the milk rather than the traditional method retained the live enzymes.

“All the things heat-based processing does to milk like squashing vitamins and enzymes, cold press does not,” a spokesperson for the brand told news.com.au in 2019.

“It is exactly the same as raw milk without the bacteria.”

The products were sold at Coles and Woolworths, with customers stating they were ‘devastated’ by the news. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Fans of the Australian-made product have been quick to share their disappointment at the news on Instagram, with many stating it was “the only milk my family would drink”.

“This is devastating, the only milk our family drinks and we buy extra if we go on holidays and can’t get it at wherever we’re going,” one customer said.

“This is devastating,” another wrote.

As another added: “I’m truly sorry to hear the news of your closure. It’s always disheartening when a business goes through such challenging times.”

Made By Cow is the latest in a long line of Australian businesses that have crumbled under the pressures of the cost of living crisis.