Engineer Mom Starts Dairy Startup to Feed Pure Milk to Lactose Intolerant Child, Clocks ₹ 1 Cr Annual Revenue

When Jyoti Padma’s 5-year-old daughter was diagnosed with lactose intolerance, she was both surprised and heartbroken. The young mother was not ready to accept the fact even if the doctor confirmed it because nobody in her or her husband’s family had this condition. She was deeply worried because it meant her child would not be able to consume the nourishing milk all her life.

In an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia, BKD Milk's Jyoti Padma shared her incredible journey from being a Textile Engineer to becoming a dairy startup founder.

“I tried giving her milk from different brands and even from local milkmen here in Mumbai, but it always resulted in my daughter either throwing up or having some allergic condition,” the Mumbai entrepreneur explained.

The story of a mother refusing to give up even after doctor’s diagnosis

Jyoti, a BTech from a reputed government engineering college decided she would not give up just because the doctor had prescribed her daughter as lactose intolerant. She took a break from her textile engineering job and started looking for a way to solve her daughter’s milk intolerance problem.

“In early 2018, a friend from my hometown Lucknow told me he had domesticated a cow so that his family drank pure and unadulterated milk. So, I visited Lucknow a few days later and gave my daughter, Ishwarya, a glassful of fresh milk from my friend’s cow. We observed Ishwarya for long. She did not throw the milk up, or have any allergic reaction as she usually had. I immediately realized my daughter was not lactose intolerant! It was the impurities and adulteration in the purchased milk that were causing the problems,” she added.

Jyoti understood that this was not an isolated problem. These days, several children are diagnosed as “lactose intolerant”. They are unable to consume milk and are devoid of necessary nourishment only because the milk available in the market is adulterated. As a mother of a small child, she empathized with other mothers and thought of starting a dairy where milk would be produced and sold in an honest way.

How it all started?

In a quest to procure pure milk for her daughter as well as to provide for others, textile engineer Jyoti decided to quit her engineering career and start her own dairy farm.

However, she was a novice in this field, and dairy business was not an easy thing to do. Cows are costly to purchase, and feeding and maintaining them is also an expensive affair. 

After some initial planning and family support, the young mother decided she would not resume her engineering job. Instead, she planned to start up a dairy. Jyoti’s elder sister gifted her unused land for her to start the farm. With some renovation and a cross-breed cow, the former lady engineer started a dairy farm in Lucknow.

“I opened the first farm in Lucknow with 15 cows and it became my biggest learning ground,” the woman dairy farmer told Startup Pedia.

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However, being a novice in the dairy industry with no practical experience the cows she initially bought were all cross-breeds. Gradually, she learned that indigenous cows are the best for Indians as the desi cow milk is well suited to our bodies. She returned to Mumbai after ten months, leaving the Lucknow farm under the care of her elder sister, and began a new farm on the outskirts of Mumbai. Taking a 2-acre land on lease in a rural area near the Mumbai-Pune highway, Jyoti opened a free-range farm where cows could graze the whole day. 

Jyoti’s husband supported her in launching the dairy startup. Together they spent all their savings to start BKD Milk Farm in 2019. By the end of 2018, the lady entrepreneur purchased 21 cows of the indigenous or desi Gir, Sahiwal, and Kankrej breeds. 

“For both the farms (Lucknow & Pune outskirts) I invested around Rs. 20-25 Lakhs and that was all the savings my husband and I had,” Jyoti opened up to Startup Pedia. “We put all our money into a startup that we had no prior experience with. It was that I was determined to build a dairy farm that produced fresh, unadulterated milk. I knew I was taking a huge risk but I knew I was on the right path.”

She was extremely particular about what her cows fed. To procure high-quality milk the Mumbai entrepreneur started cultivating the 5G Napier Grass variety to feed her cows with organic grass.

In another half an acre, Jyoti set up a unit for milk packaging, and in the remaining area, she set up a mukt gotha (open cow shed) where her cattle could roam freely, eat naturally, and get exercise. This improved the cattle's health and improved milk quality.

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Revolutionizing the dairy industry

Back then she supplied raw A2 milk to select customers in Thane, Bhandup, Bhiwandi, Meera Road, and Borivali. They would place orders online. However, the very next year, lockdown hit and the woman dairy farmer was facing challenges as she could not increase the number of cows. 

Jyoti's husband helped with the word-of-mouth publicity for the diary startup. Also, Jyoti went door-to-door sharing how BKD Milk farm's milk was different from others. Gradually, the local people opted to purchase pure milk from Jyoti's dairy farm as the milk was unadulterated and procured without applying hormone injections to cows. 

The dairy entrepreneur also helped local farmers struggling to sell their produce. During the pandemic, people turned health-conscious and were looking for organic vegetables. So, Jyoti started sourcing vegetables from local farmers and sold them to her customers creating a win-win situation for everyone.

Currently, the dairy owner has over 20 workers looking after her farm of which the majority are women. Now, clocking an annual revenue of Rs. 1 crore, Jyoti Padma is revolutionizing the dairy industry by supplying pure, unadulterated raw milk to Indian families. 

Why is A2 milk better than any other milk? 

Milk obtained from desi Indian cows is rich in A2 protein. It is good for bone health and increases muscle mass. A2 protein is more beneficial compared to A1 regular cow milk.

“While doing a survey I have visited several dairies and seen how adulterated milk is been supplied to homes,” said Jyoti. “As a mother of a child and a dairy owner I took a vow that even if I have 100 customers, it will do. I want money but I won’t make income supplying adulterated milk and affecting the health of thousands of people. I want to sleep peacefully. That’s why, I follow a principle. At BKD Milk Farm, we produce and supply milk in a natural way without harming the cows. The milk is pricier than the market-available milk but it is pure. We don’t compromise on quality because we know adulterated milk makes people sick.”

Around 80-100 litres of milk is produced in BKD Milk farm on a daily basis after letting the calves drink their share. 

“Indian cow A2 milk resembles 90% of human mother’s milk, so it is nutritious for children and grown-ups,” the Cow currency founder added. ‘However, hardly anyone knows about it!”

What is BKD Milk Dairy Farm’s Cow Currency model?

As the milk produced on the dairy startup, BKD farm is unadulterated and procured without harming the cows, Jyoti Padma thought of a way she could generate income without depending on regular customers. 

So, she has started the Cow Currency Model through which any Indian can take ownership of a cow for three years by purchasing a membership that costs Rs. 1,08,000/ only. 

The dairy startup shares the DNA certification and medical history along with vaccine details of the cow to customers immediately after they purchase this membership. 

After investing this money, the member can either opt for 2 litres of milk per day or 1 litre of milk + 1 kg of ghee per month (these 2 options are for locals). Otherwise, they can opt for 2kg ghee per month. A member can enjoy any of these 3 options that for non-members would cost Rs. 44,000/ per month.

Also, members will be given camera access and can check on their DNA-certified cows 24/7 via a registered online platform. They can make also physically visit the farm to meet their owned cow and spend time with her.

To ease the process, Jyoti has opened an online digital web3 platform through which any Indian can take 'phygital' ownership of a cow for three years by purchasing a membership that costs Rs. 1,08,000/ only and members can also enjoy 22000/- at the end of three years as buyback guarantee.

At the moment, over 200 people have registered themselves in BKD Milk’s cow currency model.

At this date, Jyoti has a select few customers in and around Pune who come to the farm and collect the fresh milk. Around 20 liters are secured for them. Rest the dairy founder is allotting through the cow currency model to anyone in the country or you can buy as ghee from their website at a price of Rs. 2200-2500/ along with courier charges.

Jyoti, who now offers consultancy in agro-tourism and dairy farming says the cows on her farm are not “revenue-generating” animals but valuable members. 

“Till the time she lives, we will take full responsibility for her,” the proud dairy owner told Startup Pedia when asked about the fate of cows after they pass the milking age. 

That’s why once a cow enters the dairy she is well-fed and taken care even after her milking years.

Objectives of Cow Currency Farm

• Conserve & preserve the Indian native cow breed

• Awareness in people about the benefits of Indian native cows

• Make people healthy 

• Uplift the livelihood & income of dairy farmers

• Achieve a sustainable milk ecosystem

How is Cow Currency Farm different from any other dairy farm?

1. Milk is obtained only from the indigenous Indian breed (desi cows) and not any hybrid variety.

2. They have only DNA-certified cows.

3. The milk is chemical-free, with zero adulteration.

4. There is zero water in the milk.

5. Home delivery within 12 hrs from milking.

6. Blockchain end-to-end traceability.

7. Milk with test results.

8. High-quality milk at an affordable rate.

9. No pesticides or hormone injections are used.

10. Unpolluted environmental milk.

Generating cow-based economy

Jyoti teaches farmers to use cow dung and organic-based substances to increase their produce. She is strictly against the use of urea or chemicals. The dairy startup founder promotes using cow-based products such as dung and biogas in any agricultural field. 

Jyoti said, "Now that we are making farmers aware of the harmful effects chemicals have on the produced food they are understanding it. Also, they need to make money. While training I explain how chemicals erode the fertility of lands. So, now they are inclining towards using cow dung instead of fertilizers sold in the markets.”

Supporting local farmers

“If a farmer is already earning Rs. 50,000 from one acre land, I train them how they can at least earn Rs. 1,00,000 from the same land by farming multiple crops,” the lady entrepreneur shared.

Today, Jyoti Padma is not only a dairy owner but she trains farmers how to make a sustainable business. She also helps in setting up dairy farms and helps in increasing yields for already functioning dairies. She also trains farmers in hydroponics (a type of horticulture), mushroom farming, biogas production, etc to help them generate a steady income.

Current plans

Dairy startup founder Jyoti is currently urging her regular customers to get into the cow currency model so that she can secure the costs of her cows for three years. “Buying cows, feeding them, giving them the best treatment is quite expensive. So, I am trying to get that cost covered by making them family members of customers.”

The dairy startup owner wants to expand her two existing farms in Lucknow and Pune. Moreover, she plans to set up her dairy farms on a pan-India basis.  

“I am targeting that Cow Currency Farm would be set in every district of the country. I want people in every corner of India can consume healthy, unadulterated milk.”

The woman dairy entrepreneur is aiming to revolutionize the dairy industry by supplying pure, unadulterated raw milk to Indian families. As a customer, she had suffered enough when her daughter suffered because of unhealthy processed milk. This is why, she is determined as a dairy founder to supply pure, healthy milk to people so that health is not compromised.

She is planning to achieve her goals by: 

1. Setting dairy farms all around the country

2. Promote the cow currency model

3. Collaborating through Coco partner, a venture where she will help the collaborator to set up the farm and also aid in the marketing process

Currently, the woman dairy owner is open to receiving collaboration applications from interested people all around the country. While signing off, Jyoti also requested the readers to take a step towards improving the diet and health of their family.

She said, “Gift yourself and your loved ones by registering to our Cow Currency model. Corporates can also request their employees to sign up for it. Instead of giving a Diwali bonus, companies can fully or partially buy this for the staff. This is how you can build a healthy nation by choosing pure, unadulterated disease-resistant milk.”

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