"The growing dairy company of recent times, Astra Dairy, is slowly but steadily gaining name and fame from its customers and those who have heard of its speciality."
Bengaluru
Jan 31, 2016. RedNewswire/-
Here comes the induction, growth and the future plans of the Dairy, all of it constructed from the words of its Managing director, Mr. RakeshRavindran himself.
It all started with a Textile Manufacturing company in the 50s. Though textile manufacturing and dairy farming have nothing in common, this was how it all began. Mr. Ravindran, Founder and Chairman of Astra Dairy, was totally into textile manufacturing and exports but as time flew, he seemed to lose the charm that he once had in this industry. All this was due to his urge to supply good quality, a need and deprivation of those times. This was the rise of Astra Dairy in 2012.
Vision and Mission:
Rakesh, the MD, states that the vision of their dairy is to deliver the best, unadulterated milk to the society. Though this would sound cliché and make us all wonder (I did think that this is a statement that every supplier makes!), he adds on (shattering our misleading thoughts) that they are doing this by ensuring that they educate and create awareness amongst their customers about the quality, the source and method by which they do the packaging.
First delivery:
Rakesh says that he and his small team delivered the milk in the beginning . He delivered one glass bottle of capacity one litre to a customer at Anna Nagar, Chennai and he did not leave it just there. He went on to explain to the customer about the methods used for milking, farming and the reasons that would motivate them to try, buy and suggest/prescribe this milk to others. He considers this to be a very good practice, as suggested by his father.
Growth through the years:
The team of Astra Dairy is keen on maintaining the standards and quality of their products, their travel experience during the textile to western countries and opportunities to see few dairy farms there and observed the methods by which the dairy farms work. Their farm is located near Gummidipoondi, the industrial town in Thiruvallur district, about 75Kms from Chennai. In order to ensure that they are at par to international standards, they use fodders that are grown in-house organically.
Currently, they also educate the farmers to grow fodder organically and hence paving a way of improvement for the farmers and themselves on the basis of using manure from their cows for growing crops. These fodders are proof enough that the milk provided is pure and organic. Also, the farm has automatic milking facilities and to avoid the toxicity of plastics from affecting their milk, packaging done in glass bottles. Milking and supply is done twice a day, in the morning and evening between 5 and 7; and they make sure that the day’s milk is supplied and not passed on to the forthcoming days.
Outsourcing is not considered as their cup of tea, thanks to their focus on quality. Recently, they have also started helping farmers in organic farming and form an organic cluster in both organic farming , dairy and desi cow breeding.
Funding:
Though the initial times were quite tough for them, they have coped up and have grown through the years. What started with the delivery of just one bottle, has grown to the supply of about 1000 litres per day, in around 16 locations. The number of delivery staff has also increased. Pricing is, Rs.75 per litre. They have opened their second distributioncentre in Velacherry, Chennai and claim to have a strong distribution system. They were funded by IOB bank in initial days and have repaid it already. With a strong brand name, good traction, product quality and customer confidence for their products and open to investments and looking to seek funds.
Focus:
They are also known for their breeding techniques, for raising Indian breeds such as Gir, Kangrej, etc., by seeking help from farmers nearby. Their focus is to promote A2 type milk and also spread awareness about growing local breeds.
Current and Future plans:
They are spreading their quality products not only in the form of milk but also Ghee, Paneer and they are going to launch Buttermilk very soon. Rakesh completes by saying that their new aim is to spread news and focus on their brand’s expansion in the southern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
Media Contact
Rakesh Ravindran
Founder, Astra Dairy
Email: astradairy@gmail.com
Phone: +91 44 4231 8424
Web: www.astradairy.in
Astra Dairy Farms Pvt Ltd
# 22, 1st Floor, 47th Street,
Ashok Nagar, Chennai-600083,
Tamil Nadu, India.
Call: +91 98400 37106
+91 44 42318424