Full cream, light, skim, homogenised, unhomogenised – milk takes many forms. But right now, a moment for the lactose free variety. Riverina Fresh’s Lactose Free Milk has been crowned the best dairy product at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards. It is the dairy industry’s highest honour. To learn more about what it takes to be the grand champion and some interesting observations about the impact of weight loss drugs on the future of the dairy industry, Executive Chairman of Riverina Fresh Craig Shapiro sat down with us for a chat.
Given, it’s the first time a lactose free product has won the ultimate dairy prize, let’s chat about what it actually tastes like. It is simply normal full-cream milk, with the enzyme lactase added. For most of us, lactase naturally occurs in our stomachs, but for those who are lactose intolerant, it’s added to break down the lactose for us. “It just means it’s highly digestible, same full cream flavour, and is a fresh, natural product,” Craig explains.
“The Grand Dairy awards are like the Oscars, where all the best products come together.”
Riverina Fresh has carved out a niche in the coffee market, cementing itself as one of the key barista milks found in cafes. “Fifteen years ago, there were not really any decent lactose-free fresh milks on the market. And in some respects, that’s what lead to the explosion of plant-based alternatives, because people were lactose intolerant, they wanted a coffee, and they couldn’t get a decent lactose-free milk.”
Craig is proudly a city boy, but his company remains deeply rooted in the country. Based in Wagga Wagga, the farmers are the ones making the product shine. “We are a small dairy processing business. We’ve got 60 million litres of milk a year, which is very small, in the context of the 8 billion litre milk pool.”
“Our farmers know that their milk is going into bottles on the shelf or in people’s coffees. It is not being exported.”
It’s quite the story considering Craig had no intentions of working in the agriculture sector. He did a science degree, ended up in finance and banking, before finding his way to Riverina Fresh. But his background gave him first-hand experience into the gap between farmers and city consumers. “It’s a passion play for us at Riverina Fresh. So, trying to make sure that we can build that connectivity so that people can start understanding a little bit more about where our food comes from.” Riverina Fresh is 100% Australian owned, regionally based, and has been in business over 100 years.
“We say that, we care for today, and we care about tomorrow.”
Values come from the top down and Craig exhibits these across the entire supply chain – from the farmers, to the factory, energy use and even the bottles. “We try to get back as many of our bottles as we can, and we recycle them back in Wagga. That plastic then goes off to a local charity, which has a recycling business.”
Looking ahead, Craig believes the future of all fresh food is bright, with the growing uptake of weight loss drugs to benefit the dairy sector. “You’re already seeing material changes in people’s eating habits. In the supermarkets, snack foods, fast foods – they are in less demand. Going to eat out at cafes and restaurants, if you’re taking weight loss drugs, your appetite is lower, so you’re wanting smaller portion sizes.”
“You need to supplement with fat and protein. What are the two components of dairy? Fat and protein. So, I actually think dairy is incredibly well placed.”
For anyone eager to learn more about Riverina Fresh or dairy in general, the business has a regular spot at the Sydney Royal Easter Show where visitors can come to see a working dairy in progress.
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