At the height of the $1 milk wars in 2012, a family-owned and operated dairy in Dubbo, New South Wales, decided to take control of its destiny. Ten years later, Little Big Dairy is living up to its name and on track to be Australia’s first commercial circular dairy brand. Kim Berry writes.
When a dairy family is up to its fifth generation, it is a fair assumption there is a strength of character, resilience, and ingenuity embedded in their bones. But for Erika and Stephen Chesworth, and their three children Emma, Campbell, and Duncan, the Dollar Milk campaign by major retailers in 2011/12 was their line in the sand.
Emma Chesworth is the eldest of the three siblings and the driving force behind Little Big Dairy operations and milk brand.
She says its creation came from a desire to be less dependent on the supply chain while supporting the local economy. Most importantly though, was to ensure the health and wellbeing of their most precious asset, a herd of 1000 Holstein cattle.
Growth has been dramatic, particularly in the last three years. From supplying two supermarkets and a local café, the dairy now distributes 110,000 litres to more than 1000 customers a week.
The Chesworths increased headcount by 114per cent and had a 241 per cent increase in customers.
In the last 12 months, the business increased milk production by 25 per cent and introduced a digital logistics system for reducing paper usage by 5.6 tonnes.
Campbell Chesworth says, “Emma is the brains behind the operations and I’m bringing my project management and planning skills to the table to develop our sustainability practices. Our brother and his wife, Duncan and Danielle, manage farm operations including managing milking, nutrition, and the welfare of the herd,” he explains.
The Chesworth clan recently finished formalising a circular strategy for the dairy.
Erika Chesworth says, “I’m a fifth-generation dairy farmer, and my father told me that if you look after the cows, they will look after you. So, every decision we make comes down to our cows, community, and conservation.
“This philosophy touches every part of our business from the solar panels powering the dairy, our designated wildlife zones, what we feed the cows through to the smart tech that’s improving herd health and reducing fuel emissions on our delivery routes.”
Major initiatives have included installing renewable energy across all of its operations, recycling wastewater from the dairy and milk processing to irrigate the farm, and using manure as fertiliser.
Campbell Chesworth says, “We’ve reduced our carbon emissions by around 515 tonnes a year. We know what we do well and then work closely with specialists to fill the gaps.
“We are working with our bottle supplier, Pact Group, to get higher recycled content in our bottles, and moving to a clear cap, which increases value in the recycling chain.
“Animal nutritionists work with us on feed to ensure it is converted in the most efficient way into milk. A standard dairy cow produces 20 litres a day, ours produce 31 litres, which equates to just over 10 per cent reduction of emissions from the cows,” he says.
The Little Big Dairy team is65 per cent female and disproportionately under the ageof 40.
When Emma Chesworth was in her early 20s, she said she didn’t want to be a dairy farmer but wanted to be a part of the industry.
“You need good, young leaders to make the industry more attractive to younger generations,” she says.
Looking to the future, Campbell Chesworth says they are looking to deepen relationships with universities to improve education and career opportunities in the dairy sector.
A delivery fleet that is electric or runs on biofuels and using 100 per cent recycled materials for packaging are on the list of company goals.
“We are looking at ways to further reduce our water usage and emissions as well as ensuring the by-products from milk production are turned into second-life products,” he says.
Little Big Dairy is working with a consultancy to map its Scope 1,2, and 3 emissions, providing a carbon inventory to outline what the company should focus on to achieve its goals.
“It is all well and good to have grandiose plans, but at the end of the day, you actually have to do something,” he says.
This article first appeared in the October edition of Food & Drink Business magazine.
