Page 11 - Dairy Dimenison Aug-Sep24

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Can you share with us the journey that led to the predominantly North Indian product by educating
establishment of Milky Mist Dairy? What inspired consumers about its nutritional value and affordability.
you to start this venture and why Paneer? Today, Milky Mist Paneer is a popular choice not only in
With an eye for detail and an uncanny knack for spotting North India but across the entire country.
emerging opportunities, he realized that the future lay What sets Milky Mist Dairy apart from other dairy
not in milk procurement and distribution, but in quality, companies in the market?
hygienic, and safe-to-consume Value Added Dairy The Indian dairy market is vast, with the dairy sector
Products (VADPs). Recognizing the palpable demand for ranking just behind agriculture in terms of contribution
such products, he established the brand in 1997 with to GDP. Naturally, many companies and cooperatives
humble beginnings. He traveled extensively both within are competing for their share. Milky Mist's success can
the country and abroad, interacting with various be largely attributed to its commitment to providing
intermediaries, including machinery manufacturers and fresh, hygienic value-added dairy products that are
suppliers. Armed with the experience and knowledge relatively affordable. Additionally, we regularly adjust our
gained from his quest to identify the right technology product portfolio based on customer feedback and
and strategy, he gradually and steadily expanded the closely monitor customer priorities and requirements to
The roots of Milky Mist can be business. ensure their needs are met.
traced back to the 1990s when a Initially, the plant was set up on a small piece of land in Can you discuss any challenges you faced during the
Chithode, Erode District. In the 2019-20 fiscal year, Milky
young Mr. T. Sathish Kumar, Mist moved its manufacturing facility to a sprawling, initial stages of building Milky Mist Dairy and how
eager to make a mark in state-of-the-art Mega Plant spread over 55 acres in a you overcame them?
business, took over his father's picturesque setting. The new plant boasts a processing In those days, before the advent of search engines,
floundering milk distribution capacity of 1.2 million liters per day (MLPD), expandable understanding various aspects of products and the
market relied solely on intuition and confidence.
business. He has never to 1.5 MLPD. It is equipped with the latest technology to Identifying the final composition of products and
looked back. In this first e- manufacture a variety of fermented products, including sourcing the necessary technical know-how and
curd, yogurt, mozzarella cheese, ghee, butter, cheddar
interaction with Dairy cheese, cream cheese, shrikhand, and lassi, as well as machinery was challenging. However, the passion and
Dimension, he shares his lifestyle products such as milkshakes and ice cream. determination to succeed compensated for the lack of
journey, the USPs of the Additionally, the plant features a state-of-the-art spray reliable information. Frequent interactions with leading
company, the dryer for converting liquid whey into value-added machinery manufacturers and suppliers, both domestic
and international, were instrumental in helping us
opportunities he products. identify the required equipment and packaging solutions

sees in the Indian Present status over time.
The company procures an average of 0.8 million liters of
dairy sector, and milk per day directly from approximately 75,000 farmers How would you describe your leadership style?
much more. Read across 12 districts in Tamil Nadu. Milky Mist produces 30 I still prefer a hands-on approach to running the
the excerpts different Value-Added Dairy Products (VADPs) with over business. At the same time, we have a well-equipped
below. 350 SKUs and owns and operates the largest fleet of team of senior executives, including Dr. K. Rathnam, CEO
refrigerated vehicles for last-mile delivery, ensuring its and a dairy industry veteran, supported by engineers,
products are transported under controlled temperature technicians, and other staff. We also have a range of
Milking Success: The Journey conditions. departments that manage the day-to-day operations of
the plant, including marketing and sales of our products.
Why Paneer?
of a Second-Generation Regarding paneer, Mr. Sathishkumar has had an What core values and principles guide Milky Mist
Dairy's operations and decision-making processes?
emotional attachment to the product since he began the
(What fundamental principles do you believe are
business. His intrigue and fascination with paneer led
Dairy Visionary him to believe it would be a game-changer for the essential for effective leadership in the dairy
industry?)
company in terms of sales and visibility. True to his
intuition and persistent efforts to enhance the quality Swift response to consumer requirements and the
T. Sathish Kumar and texture of the product, paneer has become a manufacturing of various Value-Added Dairy Products
flagship item for Milky Mist. Additionally, he worked
(VADPs), aligned with available resources and market
Milky Mist diligently to challenge the perception of paneer as a feedback, are the core values guiding Milky Mist's

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