Commercial camel milk producer Good Earth Dairy has been awarded a $4.4 million grant by the state government to help build a camel milk processing facility in Perth.
The $20 million facility is slated to open in 2026 and would enable Good Earth Dairy to increase production of fresh and powdered camel milk with the capacity to produce nearly 22 million litres per year.
The facility is set to create 90 new jobs once in operation and would expand the company’s product range and facilitate its entry into the infant formula market.
Based in Western Australia, Good Earth Dairy has launched an equity crowdfunding campaign aiming to raise $2.5 million via platform OnMarket ahead of its plan to launch on the ASX in the second quarter of 2024.
The capital raising is expected to fund the company’s capacity to increase production volume and capabilities during the construction phase of the new facility.
Good Earth Dairy chief executive Marcel Steingiesser said WA was in a unique position to lead the global camel milk production industry.
“If we were to rely on breeding we would be very limited, but we have access to a huge supply of camels in outback WA,” he said.
“We have the livestock, the technology, the climate and the opportunity; now we have the backing to take everything to the next level and begin growing on an international scale.”
Good Earth Dairy currently operates on an 800-hectare property in Yathroo, 130 kilometres north of Joondalup.
The milk producer has a herd of 160 camels with 200 more being added to its camel population over the next month.
Mr Steingiesser said Good Earth Dairy had invested $9 million developing a strategy for camel domestication, husbandry, farm design and processing since its inception in 2016.
He said the company was focused on maximising yield and becoming the lowest-cost camel milk producer in the world.
"As we bring the cost of camel milk lower and lower, we stand a good chance of being able to compete with the $840 billion dairy market,” Mr Steingiesser said.
