Kenya is part of a region where agriculture counts as significant input into the national GDP. As a result, it is almost impossible to mention economic indicators without mentioning the successful partnerships Brookside Dairy has built with farmers.
Over 200,000 farmers from 27 counties are contracted by Brookside Dairy to supply raw milk on a daily basis. Majority of whom are small-scale farmers. This emphasizes the enormous impact Brookside Dairy has on the region’s economy.
Thanks to our supportive farmers who have shown consistency in their supply of milk since our journey began in 1993, contributing to our position as the market leader in the Dairy industry
We at Brookside appreciate the critical role, raw milk suppliers play in the upstream phase of the dairy value chain.
In Kenya, the company partners with farmers drawn from more than 27 counties, right from the Indian Ocean shorelines at the coast all through to Mt Elgon at the border with Uganda.
The drive for empowerment of raw milk suppliers, which include both individual farmers and organised groups, has been core in our business model. Just over two-and-a-half decades ago, we set off on this journey of empowerment of Kenya's dairy farmers.
And thanks to the massive support from farmers. who believed in our growth model for the dairy enterprise, Brookside Dairy is today the preferred market for farmer's milk in the East Africa region.
NB: Chilled milk will be at a temperature of between 3-6 Degrees centigrade.
The Mt. Elgon Livelihoods Project aims to transform the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in both Trans Nzoia and Bungoma counties through sustainable farming practices and milk-water-carbon value creation.
Since the start of the project in 2016, Brookside has partnered with over 30,000 farmers with the aim of doubling the average milk production in the region from the current 5000 litres per day.
Brookside has tirelessly worked on empowering farmers in the region by facilitating training on sustainable farming practices. These include (but aren’t limited to) agroforestry, crop diversification and animal feed establishment.
According to Mr. John Gethi, Brookside Dairy’s director of manufacturing, The Livelihoods Project will empower farmers in order to increase farm productivity and food production. The project also strives to encourage the establishment of strong and professional dairy cooperatives and empower women through increased participation in the dairy value chain and cooperatives as both members and leaders.
We continue to work with our farmers to ensure that only the best quality milk gets to our processing house. Our raw milk suppliers benefit from a Reward Scheme that encourages supply of top-quality milk in agreed quantities.
Regular and guaranteed payment for milk delivered to Brookside. thus assuring farmers of a reliable, ready market for their milk.
Regular training on modern farming techniques through our dairy training courses and demonstration farms.
The trainings assist farmers to grow their daily milk production volumes and engage in clean milk production, besides imparting knowledge on breed improvement. We also pioneered the use of demonstration farms as peer training platforms for milk producers.
Our raw milk supply groups also benefit from training on corporate governance, thus enhancing the business performance of these entities.
Access to credit - We regularly process recommendation letters for bank credit for our farmers based on their raw milk supply history with us. This enables them to expand and commercialize their business through acquisition of inputs
Services - Provision of animal feeds and other inputs, through accredited service providers, on credit recoverable from farmers' milk delivery proceeds
Raw milk cooling stations - we operate over 150
milk collection centres and cooling stations in
key milk sheds in the country.
A robust CSR scheme for community
empowerment
