We love camels and we love their milk. We made it our mission to supply the most ethically produced natural wholesome camel milk in South Africa.
Camel milk is a new product in South Africa but has been a staple in the Middle East for many centuries. Renewed interest in the health properties of the milk has resulted in various commercial camel dairies popping up during the last two decades. The two largest dairies are Camelait and Camelicious, both situated in the UAE and both milk over 1000 camels daily. In 2006 Kamelenmelkerij Smits opened their doors in the Netherlands. The health-conscious market in the US demanded camel milk and Desert Farms was happy to supply. Further south, Australia jumped on the bandwagon and is feeding the ever increasing demand from the Asian markets. This resulted in The Camel Milk Co, Qcamel , Summer Land Camels, Humpalicious and a few others etc. ASDA introduced camel milk into their stores in the UK in 2015.
In South Africa, Camel Milk South Africa was established in March 2015 and is based on the family farm Koppieskraal, which has been passed down the generations for the last 80 years. The farm is situated in a remote location about 250km northwest of Upington in the Northern Cape, South Africa where the hot and dry climate climate is ideal for the camels. Temperature ranges from a low of 0 degrees on chilly winter mornings to highs of 40+ degrees during the summer months. The average rainfall is 150mm per annum. Vegetation on the farms consists of trees, shrubs and wild grasses. The dairy herd roams freely in paddocks consisting of between 150 and 200 hectares each. This allows then to select their food from the over 50 different plant species on the farm. The remoteness, dry climate and availability of a wide variety of plant species, combined with the camels’ excellent immune systems creates an ideal environment to keep them healthy. No veterinary intervention is required and we can guarantee that our milk is free from any antibiotics or stimulants.
We milk twice daily and during each milking session the calf is used to stimulate the mum to let down the milk. After each milking session the calves get to spend time with their mums. We do not cull our calves as they are integral to the dairy operation and we firmly believe happy healthy camels produce the best milk for their babies… and for you.
We produce camel milk powder, fresh camel milk and the Afriqueen camel milk skincare range. During the powder production process, the milk is pasteurised and then spray dried into a delicious fluffy white powder and packaged in 300 g and 1 kg standup pouches. The fresh milk is available to buy from our online shop only. It is bottled and frozen on the farm. We ship to all airports in South Africa serviced by Airlink. If you are not in Gauteng, you will have to collect the milk from the airport. Gauteng has home deliveries.
The Health Benefits section describes many of the health benefits associated with camel milk. We would love to hear from you, use the Contact Us page to let us know if you have any questions, concerns or a good story to share.
DISCLAIMER:
While camel milk is said to have many health benefits, Camel Milk South Africa does not claim that Camel Milk heals or will help your health in any way.