Middleton of Rora is home to more than 200 dairy cows and a couple on a mission to create a range of local, healthy yoghurts.
Bruce and Jane Mackie are one of more than 40 farming families affected by dairy giant Muller’s decision to close its Aberdeen milk processing plant last year.
The couple are on a non-aligned contract with Muller and since the north-east plant’s closure they have been forced to pay 1.75p a litre to have their milk hauled south for processing.
Adopting a positive can-do attitude, they have turned Jane’s yoghurt-making dream into reality and it is hoped income from the new rora dairy venture will help offset the additional haulage costs introduced by Muller.
Mrs Mackie said: “Before all this happened (factory closure) I was saying I wanted to make yoghurt, and about this time two years ago I went on a course to learn how.”
She admits the closure of the Aberdeen factory is still a major concern but says she believes the future is bright and she is very excited about the new yoghurt business.
The Mackie family has been milking cows at the 565-acre Middleton of Rora farm, near Peterhead, since 1966.
“The backbone of the herd is pedigree Holstein Friesians but mixed through it there’s a little bit of Norwegian Red and Jersey genetics,” said Mr Mackie.
In the past two years cow numbers have increased from 150 to around 220 and the couple has invested about £1.3million in a new dairy shed complete with four robotic milking machines.
Designed by Douglas Shand, of Shand Building Design, and vet Nico Vreeburg, of Vetvice – the Dutch cow welfare consultants famous for their Cowsignals methodology – the shed has won various awards including the “as built” category in the Aberdeenshire Innovation, Architecture and Design Awards.
Mr Mackie said: “I wanted to create a shed which we could show to anybody and they would be pleased to know that this was where their milk was being produced. We want to present the best of dairying to the consumer. Sometimes the way that agriculture is portrayed does not always reflect the good stockman ship that happens on farm.”
He said the creation of a new range of yoghurts gave the family a platform to display the provenance of its milk and showcase the high quality environment where the cows live and get milked.
The new yoghurt factory, which cost more than £200,000, was built with support from the Scottish Government’s food processing and marketing co-operation grant scheme.
Mrs Mackie said the plant can be used to process 500 litres of milk from the farm every day, however it is currently only being used once a week as the business venture is still in its infancy.
She said the production process was fairly straightforward and her aim was to use as little sugar as possible in the yoghurts.
“I wanted to make yoghurt because it is high in calcium and an easily digested protein which is good for every age,” said Mrs Mackie.
“Milk comes in the morning from the dairy. We put it in a vat and heat it up to pasteurise it. We then cool it down and add culture before incubating it for around six and a half hours, before filling tubs.”
The rora dairy yoghurts carry the slogan Simple Pure Scottish and each features a cardboard wrap around label with a fun drawing of a cow.
The quirky cow also features on the company’s website www.roradairy.co.uk where customers can download pictures of the cow for children to colour in.
The yoghurts are currently available in 480g pots in two types – natural and natural set. All are made with non-homogenised milk and in future Mrs Mackie plans to introduce honey, raspberry and strawberry flavours. A range of smaller 150g pots will also be launched at the Royal Highland Show in June.
The couple also plan to attend Taste of Grampian at the Thainstone Centre, Inverurie, on June 3 to showcase their new range of yoghurts.
On future plans, the couple say they hope the yoghurt venture becomes a success and creates a legacy that their two children – Barnaby, 16, and Aidan, 14 – want to take on.
“It (yoghurt business) has given us a kind of hope,” said Mrs Mackie.
“We have the opportunity to really make the farm work and I think the kids are very excited. The package of the farm is much more enticing.”
The yoghurts are currently available in a range of local shops including The Store at Newburgh, Formartine’s at Tarves, Mitchells at Inverurie, and JK Fine Foods in Aberdeen.
