How this women-founded brand plans to change Malaysia’s fresh milk game for good

[This is a sponsored article with The Farm Shop.]

We recently had a heated office debate on what “fresh milk” really means in Malaysia. 

Apparently, the term is used quite generously here, with even UHT (Ultra Heat Treatment) milks sporting the label.

But there’s a very clear difference. As a smart consumer, the easiest way to tell truly fresh milk apart is by checking its shelf life, ingredients, and preservatives used.

Truly fresh, minimally processed fresh milk typically would last no longer than three days after opening—if unopened and refrigerated, just over a week.

With confusing labels galore, it’s no wonder that The Farm Shop wants to set the record straight when it comes to what fresh milk actually means.

It starts with the source

Four women—Sushma Sivasriamphai, Karen Kow, Hasniza Binti Ali, and Dr Tan I-Lene—brought The Farm Shop to life in 2022 with the goal of making minimally processed food more accessible.

With a tagline of “Real Food, Real Good”, the brand aims to keep their offerings as true as possible. 

As dairy plays a starring role in the majority of their product line-up, they had to scrutinise the nutrition of the dairy cows themselves, and work with local farmers to improve and curate their cows’ feed.

That’s where Dr Tan, a professional veterinarian with a background in agriculture extension services, brings in her expertise.

“As a veterinarian, if we want to prevent disease from happening and we want to prevent the cow from falling sick, we have to first look at nutrition.”

“[Dairy cows] need a lot of energy and protein,” she explained, likening them to professional athletes. “Our athlete’s diet is precisely formulated with optimum amounts of fibre, energy, vitamins, and minerals.”

This leads to better performance and a more nutritious product for consumers.

As passionate changemakers, though, The Farm Shop doesn’t stop at just solving that farming pain point.

Tackling industry pain points

The team also provides their partner farmers with constructive feedback to improve farming practices, back-to-back credit, and financial support, among other things.

In another effort to uplift local agriculture, the brand buys the milk at a fair price that tallies with the product’s value. 

It’s one of the reasons why they’re priced slightly higher than other options in the market, where 1 litre of their milk starts from RM10.

“For us, a low price strategy is actually a race to the bottom,” Dr Tan explained. “There will always be somebody who will come in with more resources, more money, to give you a lower price. But the question is, at what cost?” 

“Producing a litre of milk costs a certain amount of money. [To bring down the cost,] manufacturers will start adding things that are not milk. Things like water, a very cheap resource.”

It goes without saying that this lowers the overall nutritional value of the milk, and we might end up spending more on additional supplements or medical visits instead.

It’s a real matter of freshness

If there’s one thing that the brand guarantees, it’s that their products are not over-processed and do not contain preservatives or shelf-life enhancers. 

That’s why their fresh milk has a 10-day shelf life, and is best consumed within three days after opening.

To add, all of The Farm Shop’s products travel from farm to shelves within three days, once more in a bid to maintain that freshness. Even so, due to breaks in refrigeration, some products may inevitably turn bad on the shelf. 

But that’s far from a con to the team.

“Real food spoils and it’s a good thing,” Dr Tan said. “It means that we are really standing by our products to give you only the real stuff and not messing up natural processes.”

To combat customer inconvenience,The Farm Shop offers a resolution if customers report a bad product to them within 24 hours of purchase.

“That is the level of commitment we have to our loyal supporters who are really looking for the best nutrition.”

From farm to shelf, fresh as can be

The Farm Shop’s catalogue currently boasts a good selection of fresh dairy products, such as whole milk, barista’s choice milk, the crowd-favourite chocolate milk, goat’s milk, and A2 milk. 

Fun fact: A2 milk has A2 protein, which was traditionally the predominant protein in milk and is more easily digested by humans. However, commercial farming has led to cows producing A1 protein instead, which can trigger inflammation and bloating when consumed. 

These can be found in major grocery stores including Village Grocer, BIG, The Food Merchant, AEON, Giant, Mercato, Lotus’s, NSK Grocer, MMZZ Grocer, and more.

To make it easier for consumers, the brand provides home delivery services too, just like a modern-day milk(wo)man bringing your dairy needs straight to your doorstep.

Customers in Klang Valley simply need to pre-order two days ahead on their website. If you live in other parts of Malaysia, like Ipoh, Seremban, Melaka, Penang, or Johor Bahru, deliveries happen every other week. 

Families big on milk could opt for their monthly subscription plan called the Milk (WO)Man Plan. 

The package offers what the brand claims to be the lowest price in town, with each litre of fresh milk going for as low as RM9.50/bottle, and it’ll be delivered on a weekly basis at no delivery charge.

Even without going into the nitty-gritty of The Farm Shop’s inner workings, it’s clear to see that they take their job of bringing fresh, minimally processed products to the market very seriously.

That’s why they prioritise a close relationship with consumers, to better understand their needs and find ways to address them. 

Having successfully raised RM2.1 million in pre-seed funding, the co-founders believe that they’re on track to making waves in the nutrition consumption of Malaysian households, starting with changing our fresh milk game for good.

Featured Image Credit: The Farm Shop