From $50 bottles of water and Swarovski-studded water bottles to those designed by Christian Lacroix, we have seen plenty of expensive packaged water. Now, milk seems bent on acquiring the “luxury” tag. Govardhan, a private dairy in India has zeroed in on the niche luxury milk sector and has signed up a select group of South Mumbai families to avail Pride of Cows, its new milk delivery service.
The milk comes from a herd of specially-imported Jersey-Holstein cross-bred cows. The British-origin brown Jersey cow produces creamy milk while the black-and-white Holsteins are the most preferred cow for milk production in USA. These cows are being given a special diet that abounds in iron, vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids. This will push up the price of the milk to Rs 80 ($1.76) a liter; quite a jump from the average price of Rs 25 per liter.
Moreover, this new line of milk is designed to get rid of the adulteration quotient, something that is a nagging problem associated with milk production in India. Rahul Akkara, VP of marketing at Gowardhan, said that the dairy was focused on tackling the adulteration issue. As a result, all milk under the Pride of Cows plan is collected through automated milking parlors. The human factor is done away with.
The Pride of Cows plan is currently in the testing stage. If it proves popular, it will be extended to more people, but only by invitation. Trained, uniformed delivery staff will transport the milk from Govardhan’s dairy farms near Pune to the luxe homes of South Mumbai in a refrigerated vehicle. And people appear to be interested. Already, Govardhan has clocked 3,000 enquiries.
