The Northern Territory’s only buffalo dairy has relocated so the business can expand.
Geoff and Sharon Arthur started milking their herd of Riverine buffalo back in 2008, and from their small rural block near Darwin created a successful business selling buffalo cheeses and yoghurt.
But in 2012, Geoff was gored by one of the untrained heifers, and during the time it took him to recover, the milking stopped and the business suffered.
Despite not producing any cheese for the last 18 months, orders for their gourmet buffalo products continued to flow in from across Australia and beyond. So, spurred on by such high demand, the Arthurs decided to relocate the business and make it even bigger.
With the help of some financial backers they have moved the business to a 650-hectare block near Batchelor and are in the process of building the herd numbers to milk 200 buffalo.
«As the product demand increased, we basically reached a point where we needed to expand to go forward or call it quits,» Geoff said.
«We spent five years at Lambells Lagoon proving this could work on a 20-acre block, and now we’re here with 1,600 acres.
«We are well past the proof of concept stage and ready for expanded commercial production.
«We’ve got to get the paddocks a bit better, the feeding regimes a bit better, but the sky’s the limit.»
The Arthurs have built a dairy facility which can currently handle eight buffalo at a time and will have their cheese and yoghurt products back on the market within the coming weeks.
Long-term plans for the business include a boutique abattoir and tourism facilities.
Source: ABC
