Our Work With FREE THE BEARS

Last year in November, Free The Bears rescued their very first serow. They are a rare species of goat antelope found in South East Asia. These beautiful animals can grow to be 6 feet long and 3 feet high but are unfortunately listed as ‘nearly threatened’ on the IUCN red list.

Free The Bears have been leading the fight against animal cruelty here in Laos since 2003, when they first opened their bear rescue centre in Luang Prabang. This centre now also incorporates a multi species wildlife sanctuary, which the baby serow now calls home. Since their inception in Luang Prabang in 2003, FTB have rescued over 950 animals.

The rescued serow arrived at their sanctuary malnourished and weak, he was only a few months old and still needed milk to survive, as he should still have been nursing from his mother. We have been working with FTB on previous projects and have a strong relationship with them. FTB needed milk and our dairy has some of the most nutritious buffalo milk in all of Laos.  It was a match made in heaven! We have been donating milk to FTB to take care of their baby serow in the hope that he will grow to be strong and healthy.

Both our farm and FTB are committed to the wellbeing and safety of animals. Latest reports from the fantastic team at FTB show that the serow is gaining strength and confidence with every day that passes.

These are difficult times and now more than ever its fantastic that organisations such as our farm and Free the Bears work together to show solidarity and support in our collective mission to make a positive impact here in Laos. When you are next able to travel make sure you visit the FTB Rescue Centre next to Kuang Si waterfall in Luang Prabang and on your way back stop off for a delicious buffalo ice cream at our farm.

Donate & Support the Local Community

We're still here!

We’re still here!

Taking care and reaching out.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Laos Buffalo Dairy newsletter. We never imagined at the start of the year that we would need to pause and re-imagine our social enterprise in the way we have had to over the last few months. This newsletter is a round up of where we are at and how we are still taking care of and reaching out to our communities.   Laos Buffalo Dairy has been nominated as one of the best social enterprises in Southeast Asia and we would love your support. Please vote for us! We are proud to have been shortlisted by the Mekong Co-op as one of the social enterprises showcasing sustainable and inclusive travel in the Greater Mekong Subregion. “Social enterprises have the potential to drive sustainable tourism and promote the Mekong Region as an experiential and responsible travel destination. We aim to tell their stories to inspire travellers to experience these “stars of the Mekong,” said Mr. Jens Thraenhart Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office.

Voting ends 30 June!

Here is the link to vote: https://www.mekongtourism.org/experience-mekong-showcases-2020/?contest=video-detail&video_id=23969

A Guide to Voting…

Step 1 -  Select Lao PDR from the list of countries available.    

Step 2 -  Click VOTE HERE.  You may then think it has taken you back to the original page but you can move onto step 3.
Step 3 -  Scroll down to the video about our farm on this page and you will find “click here to vote".

We are still doing what we do best.

The Coronavirus has badly affected tourism and visits to the farm. However, for now, we have re-imagined how we can reach out and continue to take care of local communities here in Laos.

Prior to lock down, it was fair to say that we were delivering on our core aims and had many exciting projects and opportunities in the pipeline. We had grown our nutrition programme to support more local farmers and their families with the aim to demonstrate the benefits of buffalo milk as a contribution to combatting the 44% malnutrition rate amongst children here in Laos. We had more buffalo than ever before on our farm and this meant more vaccinations, more healthy buffalo and more money going out to the local community. Our vision was in place.

As part of our response to COVID 19 we are proud that our farm built and donated a ventilator to the provincial hospital here in Luang Prabang, with whom we have a good working relationship. Two German volunteers on our farm found plans to build a ventilator and decided to put Steven’s workshop to the test. It took a mountain of effort, but they built a working ventilator made from local materials, which we truly hope will never need to be used. But, if the circumstance does arise, the hospital now has a ventilator that could save someone’s life.

The road ahead is challenging in these uncertain times. However, our founders came here to make a difference in the local communities. Opening the only dairy of its kind in the entire world, in a country that didn’t know it was possible to milk a buffalo has been a huge achievement. So rest assured we won’t be giving up anytime soon….So watch this space for further updates!!

Our staff ensure our buffalo receive the best care in all of Laos.  They work tirelessly to keep a farmers most valuable asset healthy and strong.

We have a plethora of ice cream flavours.  Lemongrass, Oolong Tea, Coconut - the list is extensive and appetizing.

We're still making delicious buffalo cheese! Feta, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Blue cheese and Burrata.

WE RESUMED OUR ENGLISH CLASSES...
After our free education programme was on hold for two months due to COVID 19, we were pleased to reopen to students again in June. Having been stuck inside for two months with no opportunity to study, the students returned with a keenness and enthusiasm that was inspiring!

Opportunities for students who don’t live in the city to study English were already low but, now with Corona, almost all free classes have been suspended indefinitely. On the farm we brought on a full time English teacher to ensure these ambitious students can study and have all the tools to achieve their dreams.

Donate & Support the Local Community

Creating a local library on the farm

In January we were joined by Vientiane International School. They spent a day understanding the work we do here on the farm. They took part in english classes, our nutrition programme and did a mornings work with our buffalo. 

Our farm runs an education program where upwards of 50 students receive free English classes everyday. We recently decided to expand the program and create a library so students can come and practice independent study after school. We bought books, provide educational resources and give them access to some brand new tablets very kindly donated to our farm! 

We made the plan that we wanted to create this new space for the students but during our busiest season of the year it was difficult to find the time. Luckily, these fantastic students were highly motivated. With more hands on deck we were able to build a brilliant space for study in just one afternoon. They painted the walls, cleaned the space, categorised resources and got creative drawing a beautiful mural, which is the perfect way to welcome the students to english class. 

The next morning, when the students came to study, the sense of excitement and pride they had in their new library was palpable. It’s also important to say a big thank you to the Talwar family who kindly donated some of the initial costs to help get the library up and running.

South East Asia’s undiscovered gem

You’re going where? That’s what everyone asked when I told them I was going to Luang Prabang with the kids.

Where is that?

It’s in Laos. 

As a family, we are pretty adventurous when it comes to travel. But this was more off the beaten track that we had ever done before. 

As a family, we are pretty adventurous when it comes to travel. But this was more off the beaten track that we had ever done before. 

On the way back from the falls (or on the way there) you should stop at the Laos Buffalo Dairy. You could just have ice-cream. But you would be missing out. We did a tour here and the kids loved every minute of it. 

The Laos Buffalo Dairy opened three years ago. Laos has no dairy industry as it is too hot for cows. Owners Rachel, Susie & Steven came to Laos to live. And wondered why no-one was milking the buffalos. From there, the idea for a sustainable food business that gives back to the community was born. 

Read full article

Meet Chief Somlith

Meet Chief Somlith from Thin Keo village in Luang Prabang. He was the first person in his community to rent a buffalo to the Laos Buffalo Dairy and it changed his life.

Congratulations for Team Dai Challenge 2019

Congratulations – Team Dai Challenge 2019. Over USD 13,000 raised for ARDA Hope Centre in Vientiane supporting Lao youth. You can find the donation platform here.

Every year, Vientiane's Team Dai cycling team embarks on a multi-day cycling tour to raise funds for a local cause. 2019 will be the 12th edition of this event, and around 25 riders will be cycling 420 km from Vientiane to Luang Prabang over back roads climbing over 6600 meters in 4 days (7-8-9-10 March).

Here enjoying some delicious & well-deserved ice-cream after their long ride, provided by Laos Buffalo Dairy.

UNCOVERING LAOS: WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT THE HIDDEN GEM OF LUANG PRABANG

Sustainable businesses

One of the things that most impressed me about Luang Prabang was the prominence of sustainable businesses. These businesses are often run by expats working alongside the locals to improve the self-sustainability of the region.

Laos Buffalo Dairy– One example of this is Laos Buffalo Dairy, a dairy farm which rents buffalo from the surrounding farmers to vaccinate, nourish, and milk them. They produce a variety of delicious buffalo milk products at the same time as providing instructions to local farmers on how best to care for the animals, as well as the benefits of milking buffalo as a source of protein (which is especially important considering the impact of malnutrition on the country), all whilst delivering a source of sustainable income for the farmers.

Read more here https://www.polkadotpassport.com/uncovering-laos-why-you-should-visit-the-hidden-gem-of-luang-prabang

Luang Prabang: Why you shouldn’t overlook the Laotian city when visiting Southeast Asia

The city’s laid-back lifestyle also drew Australian Susie Martin from the corporate world in Singapore. She and her cheese-loving business partners set up the country’s first buffalo dairy farm. I take the 40-minute drive out of the centre of Luang Prabang to meet Martin at the Laos Buffalo Dairy. She leads the way around the farm, introducing me to the herd and explaining how the social enterprise is helping and training local farmers. “Luang Prabang provided a more relaxed feel to everyday life in a beautiful and idyllic setting,” she says. “The people are extremely friendly, tolerant and happy to work with new people and ideas.”

Read more at: https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/luang-prabang-laos-travel-guide-review-unesco-southeast-asia-trip/

Pitching in for World Clean Up Day

On 22nd of September it was World Clean Up Day and some of the Laos Buffalo Dairy Team pitched in.

Millions uniting worldwide to call for a waste-free world!

World Clean Up Day happens only once a year, but try to remember daily not to throw garbage everywhere. Keep the planet clean, recycle.

Our ecosystems are being ravaged by waste and pollution. We must keep our beaches, woods, seas, rivers, countrysides and city streets clean – only then can our environment once again regain its health and beauty. To do this, we need a systemic shift in our approach to resources – drastically reducing the amount of waste created, and preserving all resources at their highest quality by reusing what we can, and recycling or composting everything else. We also need a collective consensus on creating a healthy waste-free environment for all. We must shift our perspectives, and treat all waste as a precious resource - just like nature does. It’s only waste when it’s wasted.

The Laos Buffalo Dairy: Sustainability in action

Whatever image comes to mind when you think of Laos, a beautiful sparsely populated nation in Southeast Asia, delicious cheese probably isn’t one of them. Yet in 2014 when a mid-life crisis propelled Rachel O’Shea, Susie Martin and Steven McWhirter to leave their expat postings in Singapore and settle in beautiful Luang Prabang, cheese was definitely on their minds.

Although buffalo milk is very nutritional—it’s actually higher in calcium and protein than regular cows’ milk and lower in cholesterol too—these cheese-loving aficionados soon realized that in this land chock full of buffalo, a dairy industry was non-existent.

Read more: https://www.impactresolutions.ca/single-post/The-Laos-Buffalo-Dairy 

Laos Buffalo Dairy: Artisan cheese comes to south-east Asia

Most people, when they are missing comfort food while travelling, arrange for care packages to be sent from home, or just suffer in silence. Not so Susie Martin and Rachel O'Shea – to satisfy their cravings for cheese, they started a dairy.

And not just any dairy, but a buffalo dairy. In Laos. All without any farming experience.

Travel vlog from Laos

Each day a lot of wonderful people visit us and we are very grateful for all the positive responses we get from you guys!

Sometimes stars from The voice cross our gates, other times vloggers that discover Luang Prabang. Check out this video about our beautiful city. Starting 3:30 you will be taken on a virtual tour around Laos Buffalo Dairy

Enjoy!

Featured in Portfolio magazine

Another accomplishment for all of us here at Laos Buffalo Dairy. People from Portfolio magazine covered Luang Prabang in this month's issue and guess who's mentioned in there. Exactly! Your truly, Laos Buffalo Dairy. The title of the article is "Heritage is serious business in Luang Prabang" and it covers a lot of aspects. From the ceremony of giving alms, the Mekong and food culture.

Since the issue is not online yet, we leave you with just a tiny piece of the article, the one where we were mentioned.

We have a lot of new stories to tell, and we are grateful to all those who pass our gate and mention us in their blog posts, magazines, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
Don't forget that we are also active on all social media of the above.

See you soon with more great news.

A crossbreed, you say?

It’s official!!  We have our first crossbred buffalo at Laos Buffalo Dairy!

We are happy to announce that the Artificial Insemination breeding program that we did back in December 2016, with our esteemed Laos vet Dr. Som, was a success!  

On 2nd November, two of our team members escorted a buffalo and her crossbred baby in from Thinkeo Village.  The buffalos belong to Thinkeo Village Chief, Somlit, who is a very big supporter of Laos Buffalo Dairy, bringing us his buffalo and helping us with some of our building and crazy falang (foreigner) ideas.  

The baby was 2 weeks old when she walked onto our farm.  We are happy to report that she and mum are doing well and seem to be enjoying their new home for the time being.

The AI program at LBD is an ongoing affair at the farm to help increase the genetic mix within the herds in the local villages.  Because most of the males are slaughtered for meat, they don’t have a chance to breed and the genetics in the herds is thinning.  AI is being used to improve genetics and hopefully decrease the calf mortality rate.  With the backing of the government and the help of local farmers, we will keep trying to improve buffalo population.

We hope to report more crossbreeds in the near future.  Stop by the farm and see her in the tourist area.  Keep your eyes open for more reports!

Veterinarian Specialist, AI and Babies Abound!

This has been very busy few weeks at Laos Buffalo Dairy.  Our international veterinarian specialist from Holland, Ronald van Giesson has been here helping us with all of the buffalo and procedures on the farm.  

But that isn’t all!  We were lucky enough to have a world-renowned buffalo specialist from Thailand, Dr. Ohm, come and visit us as well to help with an Artificial Insemination program for the buffalo.  The Laos government has been very concerned with the genetic inbreeding among the buffalo in Laos.  

In 2014, they embarked on a crossbreeding program with swamp and Murrah buffalo to try and “get some new blood” into the herds.  Laos Buffalo Dairy is now facilitating that program on our farm.

Dr. Ohm and Ronald helped us with the program in order to start our next round of Artificial Insemination.  Dr. Ohm came loaded with an ultrasound machine for us to use to see if any of the buffalo were currently pregnant before we started them in the program.  Can we tell you how excited our team was to have a look at the ultrasound pictures and see the babies moving inside the mums?  We even managed to bring the machine to one of the local villages to check some of their buffalo and show the farmers what they were looking at.  We caused quite a stir!

2 Likes, 1 Comments - Laos Buffalo Dairy (@laosbuffalodairy) on Instagram: "Ecography of a baby buffalo! Isn't this exciting? . . . . . . #laosbuffalodairy #luangprabang..."

The rest of the buffalo will go through a regime, similar to what humans would go through, in order to help bring them into heat so we can perform AI on them.  But, as a backup, we will also be putting them together with our bulls.  You can never be too safe!

Laos Buffalo Dairy is now looking into a portable ultrasound machine for the farm so we can keep a closer eye on new babies and buffalo health!  We can then also possibly go into some of the local villages and help out with reproductive health for their buffalo.

There are a lot of new and exciting things happening on the farm!  Keep your eyes open for what comes next! 

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more news!

Pregnant Murrah arrive & a new baby buffalo

(For those of you who don't know what Murrah means, is a breed of Water buffalo :) )

After months of going back and forth between Laos and Thailand, selecting the right buffalo, making sure the birthing dates would be right, and filling out paperwork, out beautiful buffalo ladies from Thailand have arrived! 

Recently 12 pregnant Murrah buffalo arrived at Laos Buffalo Dairy.  These ladies will be added to our family to help up our milk yield and hopefully, help us breed more Murrah/Swamp cross breeds which we can then populate the Laos countryside with.

These ladies will live together in a quarantine shed for a full month so we can make sure they don’t have any diseases that they could pass to our Laos population.  After that time, they will join the rest of our crew and live the spoiled life of a milking buffalo.  The babies are expected to come into the world in the next 4 – 8 weeks and we can't wait to meet our new little babies!

Keep a lookout for our baby pictures!  We know you’ll love the cuteness as much as we do! 

Also, on the same day the Murrah arrived, one of our own local buffalo gave birth. So much cuteness and good news in just one day! 

Luang Prabang News comes to Laos Buffalo Dairy!

We made the news again.

Not long ago Luang Prabang news came to visit our dairy and we got 13 minutes of news report on the local TV. If you would like to see it, here it is.

Ricotta Cheesecake recipe

Are you as crazy for cheesecakes as we are? Thank you have to try our delicious ricotta cheesecake recipe! Have fun and don't forget to share the pictures with us! If you have time to take some pictures :).

Ricotta Cheesecake recipe

Crust:

142 grams flour
50 g sugar
1 teaspoon lemon or lime zest
125 grams butter
1 slightly beaten egg yolks (equal to approximately 20 grams)
1 gram vanilla

Filling:

910 grams ricotta cheese (drained)
135 grams sugar
48 grams flour
6 eggs or 360 grams eggs
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons orange zest
8 grams vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions for ricotta cheesecake recipe:

Combine flour, sugar, and zest for the crust.
Cut in butter until crumbly.
Add egg yolk and vanilla and blend well.

Pat 1/3 of the dough around the bottom of a 9” spring form pan.

Bake at 450° F /232° C for 8 minutes or until browned.

Carefully smooth the other 2/3 of the dough around the sides of the pan.

Put ricotta in mixing bowl and mix until smooth.
Stir in sugar and flour, mixing thoroughly.
Mix in the eggs one at a time.
Blend in the vanilla, cinnamon, orange zest and salt.
Pour batter into crust.

Bake in the center of the oven at 300° F / 150° C for about 1 hour to 1 ½ hours, until light golden in color.
Make sure the center is fairly firm, and the point of a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack.
It will sink slightly as it cools.  Cover and chill until serving time.

We are making burrara. Wait, what is burrata?

So... Rachel started making burrata and when she proudly told us we had no clue what that was.

But do not upset the chef, seems like she knows what she is doing. After a short google search we all were: aaaa, burata, sounds absolutely delicios! Now we can talk about it. Yes please, make some more.

What is burrata

You might still be asking. Basicaly mozzarella, but creamy and runny when you cut into it. The recipe goes something like this:

• you take some of the curd before you stretch it
• chop it up
• mix it with cream
• and make a pancake of more curd
• put the chopped curd inside like a purse.

Everyone had to taste the delicious burrata and we all were really pleased with it. It's great for breakfast, in salads and milion other combinations. 

We drooled on this recipes and hope that our dear Rachel will test them all! 

And also, if you are in Luang Prabang on the 15th of July, we plan to participate in the market in the gardens at Sofitel. We will be selling what we have that night.

Have you ever try burrata before?

Buffalo milk provides a unique land use option

Free range chickens, goats or even ostriches have all been possible options for small block holders and farmers seeking out a viable income source for their smaller parcel of land. But it could be the answer lies in an animal more New Zealanders would have seen overseas than they have ever seen at home.

The swamp buffalo is typically matched to tropical, subsistence farming, but its milking cousin is a vital part of many economies including Italy and Spain, thanks to its ability to produce exceptionally healthy, high value milk and milk products.

Read more:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=11848631