Hitesh Rathi, Founder of Aadvik Foods
Camel milk should also be promoted as an ingredient in various industries like nutraceuticals, skin care and Ice cream confectionery, this will help overall awareness and acceptability of camel milk. Camel Milk has therapeutic properties as it is a rich source of essential Vitamins and Minerals. It also has natural Insulin-Like Proteins, which help in maintaining Blood Sugar Levels. It is also not known to cause any Allergies, which makes it suitable for Lactose Intolerants. Aadvik Foods being India’s 1st company to introduce camel milk products at a national level has been single-handedly trying to create awareness around camel milk benefits which remains the biggest challenge for the industry to this date. Hitesh Rathi, Founder of Aadvik Foods, sheds light on the perspective of the camel milk industry in India in an exclusive interview with NUFFOODS Spectrum.
What is the market size of the camel milk industry in India and what is the growth potential of the industry?
Although there is no clear data available, I think the camel milk industry in India should be around 100 Crores at present including the unorganised sector. With the mindset of Indians shifting towards healthier food choices, the camel milk industry can grow 3 times in the next 5-10 years
How do you foresee the camel milk industry in India by 2030?
I think it should grow 2-3X by 2030.
Apart from the milk, which other milk products are made from camel milk?
We are making multiple products from camel milk, these include frozen milk, whole and skimmed milk powder, chocolates, ghee, premixes, cheese, nutraceuticals, skincare products, etc.,
Many other products like ice cream, sweets, laban (fermented milk type), UHT milk, cookies, etc., are also made by people across the globe.
What is the nutritional value of camel milk and milk products?
In general camel milk is helpful in Autism, Diabetes, Lactose intolerance and height growth (we have recently concluded a clinical trial proving the same). It has almost 10 times more iron and 4 times more vitamin C than cow milk, though the fat is lesser. People who are on a GFCF diet can also consume camel milk easily.
We have also prepared a camel milk guide book which answers all queries related to camel milk, benefits, usage etc., along with the research links.
What are the strategies the company is implementing to expand the reach of camel milk across the country?
Aadvik being India’s 1st company to introduce camel milk products at a national level has been single-handedly trying to create awareness around camel milk benefits which remains the biggest challenge for the industry to this date. We are employing several methods to expand the reach of camel milk across the country including but not limited to –
a. Innovation and Research – Constantly introducing innovative products from camel milk to maximize reach. Height growth formula would be our latest addition to this, which has been proven by clinical trials.
b. Distribution – Available on all major E-commerce platforms which makes it accessible to a wider audience.
c. Digital marketing – Google, social media, etc.,
d. Participation in fairs and exhibitions – we regularly participate in food exhibitions across the globe to showcase camel milk products and their potential.
e. Partnerships and collaboration with other stakeholders to create more awareness around camel milk.
Is there any demand for Indian camel milk products from abroad?
Yes, there is, we have been exporting camel milk products from India for the last 6 years. Our major export destinations are the USA and the Middle East.
What are the challenges and how to overcome them?
Awareness around camel milk benefits seems to be the biggest challenge, this is supplemented by policymakers and executives’ failure to see potential beyond cow and buffalo milk.
Camel milk should also be promoted as an ingredient in various industries like nutraceuticals, skin care, Ice cream confectionery, etc., This will help overall awareness and acceptability of camel milk.
A little push by the government as it was done for Millets, Yoga, Khadi, etc., would go miles to uplift the whole camel milk industry and no better time than now as 2024 has been declared as the International Year of Camelids. We all need to leverage this opportunity collectively.
Another challenge with exports of camel milk products is that many countries don’t allow the export of dairy products which are of Indian origin, India should leverage its soft power to convince more and more countries to allow not all dairy products but special dairy products like camel milk and its derivatives into their respective countries.
What inputs are required for the growth of the camel milk industry in India?
Favourable policies which support small dairy entrepreneurs like us, generally all the schemes and benefits seem to favour big dairy companies.
Science-backed researches are required to increase the broader acceptability of camel milk as an active ingredient, nutraceutical companies should also be open to trying out new possibilities with camel milk.
Shraddha Warde
shraddha.warde@mmactiv.com