Member Article

South Yorkshire farm expands with new £500k dairy to supply University of Sheffield

A South Yorkshire farming family is set to increase milk production on its farm by opening a new £500k dairy to supply milk to the University of Sheffield.

Our Cow Molly at Cliffe House Farm is the only dairy farm left in Sheffield that bottles its own milk according to the Yorkshire Post.

Despite the marketplace volatility seeing a depressed farmgate milk price for many, Our Cow Molly is making a major investment with the help of a grant from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Dairy Fund.

The new processing facility on the farm, run by the Andrews family, is due to be completed by the end of the year and will increase production from 8,000 litres a week to 42,000 litres per week, with the area’s two neighbouring dairy farms having a share in the dairy which they will supply with milk from their own herds for processing.

Owner Eddie Andrews said: “I hope this model, which will see us directly supply milk to the University, will be replicated all around the country rather than this being a one-off.”

At present, the University’s milk is sourced in Yorkshire but is transported to London for processing. Using Our Cow Molly, milk will be delivered ready to drink from just four miles, freshly milked from the herd the same morning.

Gavin Brown, the University’s commercial operations manager, said: “One of our core values is about supporting local suppliers. We have three themes within that - local, ethical and quality - and Our Cow Molly ticks all the boxes.”

The new dairy facility is vital if the business is to process the volume of milk that will be needed by the University for students and staff, and its new machinery will mean one carton of milk is filled every two seconds.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .