From farm to fridge
the local dairy farm bringing fresh milk to Vientiane By Sally Pryor
S
engmany Yathotou is on a mission. It’s a weekday morning in Naxayneua village, Vientiane, and on her family farm that borders on a national park, she is overseeing the milking of more than 100 cattle – peaceful, black-and-white Fresian dairy cows that produce around 15 litres of milk a day. Sengmany wants more people in Laos to drink the milk they produce – pasteurised, free from preservatives and marketed under the brand name Crysta (soon to be changed to Nom Lao), from Vientiane’s only dairy farm to local cafes and mini-marts.
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But Sengmany is the first to admit that the family business still has a way to go in convincing Lao people – from ordinary consumers to food manufacturers and government officials – of the benefits of drinking milk and eating dairy products. Just four years ago, Sengmany’s farm-loving parents - her now-retired father was once Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry - were breeding a small herd of dairy cows “for fun” on their 10-hectare farm on the outskirts of Vientiane Capital. The cows produced enough milk for the family’s own consumption, and to share with friends,
neighbours and relatives. So far, so eccentric for a well-respected family in a non-dairy-consuming society. As it happened, the milk coming out of the farm was actually quite good. The friends and neighbours began asking for more, wondering aloud why the family didn’t consider selling the farm’s produce. And so, in 2014, Sengmany launched Crysta – named after her young daughter. Crysta Milk stands out from other brands in supermarket fridges because it’s the only one produced in Laos, but is of the same quality as its imported neighbours on the shelf.
