Two dairy farmers and neighbours in Kirinyaga County have doubled their incomes through milk ATMs.
In 2020, Franklin Ndegwa and John Kagure earned Sh35 a liter supplying their milk to a processor. Today, the dairymen jointly milk 700 liters, selling a liter for Sh80 in Kutus town.
“Milk ATMs were a perfect solution for the low and unstable prices we got for our milk. Though it was costly to start up, the investment has proven more than worth it,” Ndegwa said.
Related News: Dairy farmers add 1.5L of milk daily with sweet potato vines
Related News: Dairy quickest, most impactful sector to address Kenya’s economic woes
Automated milk dispensers have been a hit with Kenyan consumers as they allow them to buy quality hygienic milk for as little as Sh10.
The device has a food-grade inbuilt cooling system that maintains the milk at 4°C to keep its quality and taste.
“For milk supplies, they are fitted with digital accounting software that ensures transparency as they keep up-to-date password-protected records that can only be accessed by the owner,” explained Valentine Anyula, a sales executive at leading dairy equipment supplier, Techwin Limited.
It also uses single-phase power supply which is suitable for lower-power applications. This makes it power efficient consuming as much electricity as a household fridge.
Related News: Meru dairy farmer banks on genetics to turn profit as feed costs rise
For regulators, automated milk dispensers offer traceability as the milk’s origins can be tracked.
ATM Milk should be drinkable upon purchasing it, which means it needs to be pasteurised.
A 100-liter capacity milk pasteurisers costs Sh210,000, while a 2,000-liter one is Sh1.4M. Meanwhile, a small 100-liter capacity milk ATM costs Sh165 while a 500-liter ATM sets you back Sh240.
Valentine Anyula: 0700791516