When it comes to milk in Cambodia, most products are imported from Thailand and other surrounding countries. Only recently has milk produced in Cambodia started appearing on the shelves of super markets.

Moo Moo Farms is a ranch that produces milk from the raw product to manufacturing, located in the Chbar Ampov district outside of Phnom Penh. It is owned by Floyd Kenneth Matthews, an American who started this ranch in October 2015 with 11 dairy cows. Originally working in Cambodia as a Christian missionary, he felt there needed to be more places where young people can work. His relatives raise dairy cows in America, which is how he got the idea. It took four years of planning, before the ranch was completed.

To provide safe and fresh milk, they employ the same manufacturing methods used in America. Because of the good quality, their product occupies the shelves of Phnom Penh’s best supermarkets like Lucky Supermarket, Natural Garden, etc. However, due to the high price of electricity and the difficulty finding domestic feed for the cows, the milk ends up more expensive compared to imported products.

There are currently 15 Cambodian workers on the ranch. There are still some unresolved diffi culties, but the ranch will continue to nurture those who want to work.

There are currently 26 Holstein dairy cows and 11 calves. Thay are going to import 10 Holstein cows more soon.

Work begins every morning at 6 am. The milking tools are sterilized in boiling water and the cows’ teats are disinfected. In order to make a delicious and safe product, very close attention is paid to hygiene.

They pasteurizethe milk the same way it’s done in the U.S., this does not change the flavor of the milk.

Milking is done twice a day at 6 am and 5 pm. One cow produces 10 to 20 liters a day, and totally 270 liters of milk can be produced a day. Based on the current amount produced, it’s diffi cult to stock large supermarkets.

They fill the bottles with the processed milk. There are two kinds, 1 liter and 2 liter bottles, both with an expiration date of one week. 1 liter is US$ 2.5 and 2 liters is US$ 4.5. It takes 6 hours starting at 6 am to get to this step.

To preserve the freshness, 750 liters of raw milk are stored in a tank at 5 to 8 degrees Celsius.

The cows are fed 4 to 5 times a day. There feed is a mix of dried grass, sugarcane, soy beans, barley grounds, and salt.