Colostrum capsules give South Gippsland Dairy a healthy boost

Two Gippsland dairy families have launched a wellness brand in the niche colostrum market, and are eyeing opportunity to expand to organic supplements after just one year of trading.

South Gippsland Dairy's Neil and Shelley Walker on their property at Korumburra. Picture: Dannika Bonser

WHEN South Gippsland dairy farmers Shelley and Neil Walker first toyed with the idea of value-adding four years ago, the traditional creamy stuff popped to mind.

“Neil and I were leaning towards white milk – thinking about our own milk brand label,” explains Shelley, who rears 180 Holsteins with Neil at Korumburra.

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Instead, after teaming up with dairy processing engineer Campbell Evans and his wife, Krista, the couple has delved into the health and wellness sector, launching a unique business called South Gippsland Dairy that produces colostrum supplements touted for their immunity-boosting qualities. Nutrient-dense colostrum is the thick milk a cow produces during calving. After calves receive their essential fill, the farmers collect the excess colostrum to produce freeze-dried powder, tablets and capsules that aid digestive problems and promote gut health.

Compared to bottling and selling milk, colostrum products are “low volume and high value,” Shelley says.

Dairy cattle on Shelley and Neil Walker's property at Korumburra. Picture: Dannika Bonser

Similar supplements are produced in North America, and there is a strong market in Asia.

As the only licensed colostrum manufacturers in Australia, South Gippsland Dairy’s point of difference to overseas imports is that its colostrum is sourced from local herds, including the Walkers’ own, that graze the lush paddocks of southeast Victoria.

“We think we are the only ones in the world who do the whole process,” Shelley says. “We collect, process and sell the end product.”

Four farming families have supplied the company, and they are now on the hunt for organic dairy suppliers, so they can expand their range.

With increasing sales demand, they hope to double their collection farms in the coming 12 months.

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