Vietnam Milk Collection Points

The Challenge

In Vietnam, many small-scale farmers produce 5 to 13 gallons (19 to 49 liters) of milk per day from a few cows. Due to low production and economic constraints, these farmers do not have their own milk cooling systems. As a result, the milk needs to be transported by truck to a processor before it can be cooled. This delayed cooling poses a threat to the milk's quality, as bacteria can start to grow, causing the milk to spoil faster. A new system is needed to improve the quality of the farmers' milk, enhance their quality of life, and provide safe dairy products to the community.

"These locations never had a milk cooling tank. Milk was collected by truck and transported without any cooling. Now, an advanced milk collection point is in place. The projects are great to do, because it directly benefits the farmers. Our equipment improves the milk quality and increases the dairy farmer’s income.”

The Solution

Paul Mueller Company has partnered with FrieslandCampina Vietnam to supply milk cooling tanks in Asia. FrieslandCampina strategically places the milk cooling tanks in central locations as part of the farmer support system. Small farming families bring their milk churns to one of the central collection points twice daily and pour it into a Mueller dump unit. The milk is then stored and cooled in Mueller tanks. At some collection points, the milk of about 70 farmers is gathered.

“Within the hour of milking, they all bring their milk to the collection point. Most of them do this by moped, milk churns strapped on the back. Once the milk has been approved, they pour it into the tank, and off they go. The whole process takes no more than five minutes.”

The Results

The collection centers in Vietnam contribute to Mueller and FrieslandCampina's goal of producing sustainable and nutritious food for consumers worldwide. Through this system, thousands of smallholder dairy farmers are improving the quality and safety of the milk produced on their farms. Since Vietnam began, this concept has spread to other countries such as Malaysia, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Thailand, where collection points are being set up. Mueller continues to work with global partners like FrieslandCampina to bring viable milk supply chain management solutions to emerging countries.

Project Details

Collaboration with FrieslandCampina Vietnam
Up to 70 Farmers at one Collection Center
Improving the quality of milk for local farmers