COW WISDOM

You should keep all our products in a fridge at a temperature below 4°C. The shelf life varies depending on the product. Most of our products should be consumed within 21 days of production. You can find the best before date on the packaging. If you’re unsure, please contact hello@camdairies.com or call 08158092741 (Lagos), 08158092732 (Abuja). 

We’re often asked why our dairy needs to be kept cool while other dairy products don’t need to be refrigerated. The short answer is, because we only sell real dairy from real cows. In Nigeria, most of us are familiar with UHT and evaporated milk, which don’t need to be refrigerated because they are heavily processed to extend their shelf life. 

Some people will tell you that yoghurt is fine to consume a week or two after its best before date as long as it doesn’t smell sour and there’s no sign of mould. That’s true. However, eating yoghurt that has gone off can cause food poisoning, so we strongly recommend following the best before dates on our products.

All our milk must pass multiple tests at three different stages: At the collection point, at our milk aggregation centre and at our factory. Alongside visual checks for colour and odour, we also perform the following tests:

• Platform/organoleptic test: This is a sensory test to check the visual appearance of the milk in terms of colour and see if there are any dirt particles or foreign objects on the surface of the milk. We also feel the churn to check the temperature of milk, which gives us a sense of when it was milked, and smell to see if there is a sour odour that indicates spoilage. We also check to see if the milk was stored in an approved food safe churn. It is rejected if this is not the case.

• Alcohol test: This is a simple and quick method to test the acidity of the milk. High acidity means increased microbial activity. We mix equal amounts of milk and 80% ethanol using a tool called an alcohol gun. If the milk clots, then it’s not fit for pasteurisation and is rejected.

• Density test: We use a lactometer to determine the density of the milk. This tells us if the milk has been diluted with water or any other solids. 

• Antibiotic test: This detects the presence of antibiotic residues in the milk, which could indicate that the cow was being treated with antibiotics when it was milked.

• Resazurin test. This measures the bacteria load in the milk. Resazurin is a blue dye which becomes colourless when it is chemically reduced by the removal of oxygen. When it is added to the milk sample, the metabolic activity of the bacteria present changes the colour of the dye at a rate which correlates to the number of bacteria in the sample.

• We use a milk analyser to measure fat, SNF (solids non-fat), protein, lactose, salt, added water, pH and freezing point.

By the time our milk has passed all of these tests, we’re more than satisfied that it’s ready to be bottled or turned into delicious dairy products. 

All our dairy contains live bacteria cultures. The terms ‘live’ and ‘active’ refer to healthy gut-healing bacteria similar to the ones that already live in your gut. The live bacteria in our dairy are good for your gut health as well as helping to aid digestion and weight loss. In fact, yoghurt isn’t ‘officially’ yoghurt without these live and active cultures. Many yoghurts that are heavily processed with heat treatment no longer contain these good bacteria, so you’re missing out on all the goodness. 

No. Because we use real dairy, our products contain lactose. If you’re lactose intolerant, you find it difficult to digest foods that are high in lactose. Milk generally has a higher lactose content than yoghurt or butter. The lactose content tends to decrease in yoghurt and even more so in butter as a result of the processing method. 

Our milk comes from pure and crossbred cows. These dairy cows give birth once a year and then produce milk for the next 10 months. They’re milked between 1-2 times a day and this raw milk is then collected and taken to our factory, where it’s pasteurised to make it safe for consumption. Even though our milk arrives in bottles, it all comes directly from cows. 

Real dairy means it comes straight from a cow’s udder. Most of the options you’ll find in Nigeria pass themselves off as real dairy. But the truth is, they’ve either never been near a cow in the first place or they’ve had the natural goodness processed out of them. We call these products “fake dairy” because they’re not even in the same league as the real stuff. When we talk about dairy, we ALWAYS mean real dairy from real cows. 

Both UHT and evaporated milk are heavily processed to extend their shelf life. UHT stands for Ultra High-Temperature Pasteurisation. The milk is heated to a very high temperature, which kills off not just the harmful bacteria but also the good stuff that heals your gut. Evaporated milk, on the other hand, involves removing around 60% of its water content and then adding sugar and other additives. The evaporated milk sold in Nigeria is reconstituted powdered milk. This means it goes through a long process where water is removed to form a powder before being shipped, and liquid is added back in when it arrives in Nigeria. There’s then even more processing before it eventually makes it to a supermarket shelf. In both cases, this means you don’t have to keep UHT or evaporated milk in the fridge – but you’re also missing out on the taste and nutritional benefits. 

Milk powder has as similar nutritional composition as milk. However, they can be high in sugar, contain additives and often contain oxidized cholesterol. Some research suggests oxidized cholesterol can lead to health problems such as damaged blood vessels and heart disease. 

Pasteurisation is the process of heating raw cow’s milk to make it safe to consume. We heat our milk to 63°C for 30 minutes before cooling it very quickly. This kills any bad bacteria and makes it safe to drink. 

Homogenisation is a process that gives milk its rich, white colour and smooth texture. We achieve this by pumping the milk through small openings under high pressure. This process reduces the size of the fat globules and spreads them evenly throughout the milk, preventing a layer of cream from rising to the top and making our milk smoother and creamier. 

Yes! This is one of our favourite dinner party facts. The reason is because milk contains sugar lactose along with some protein and some fat, all of which help the body to hold onto water. So, a tall glass of milk in the morning is even more hydrating than plain water.

See our process page for more information.

There are a few reasons why our products come at a premium. The truth is, real dairy is far more expensive to produce than UHT or evaporated milk. Since we don’t have a dairy industry in Nigeria, we’re investing heavily in developing the infrastructure, equipment and trust needed to create one. We’ve also pledged to pay a fair price per litre to our pastoralists, which ultimately benefits our economy. So, the extra cost doesn’t just go into our pockets – we’re building something that we’ll all benefit from in the future. 

As we grow, we’ll eventually achieve the economies of scale available to bigger brands, which will allow us to pass cost savings on to our customers. 

Milk from local cows – and that’s it. After pasteurising the milk and making it safe to drink, we then begin the process of making yoghurt. This takes time, patience and lots of straining. When the yoghurt becomes creamy and full of flavour, it’s ready to enjoy. We never use artificial flavours or preservatives. If we’re making a flavoured yoghurt, we only ever use fresh fruit, honey and other natural ingredients. 

Greek style yoghurt is thicker and creamier than regular yoghurt. Both are made from the same ingredients but the nutrients and taste are different. Greek style yoghurt is made using a traditional Greek processing technique that involves straining the yoghurt to remove the whey, which makes it almost twice as high in protein compared to regular yoghurt and also brings other health benefits.

Yoghurt can only be called "Greek yoghurt" if it's made in Greece. Greek-style yoghurt refers to yoghurt that is made using the same traditional straining method as Greek yoghurt, but that comes from outside of Greece. At Câm, we make Greek-style yoghurt and never use artificial thickeners or stabilisers.

We never use artificial sweeteners, but we do get a helping hand from nature. Some of our products might contain honey and other natural sweeteners to squeeze out every drop of flavour.  

We’ve gone to great lengths to banish plastic from our packaging. All our jars and bottles are made from glass and manufactured here in Nigeria. This allows us to recycle or reuse packaging without creating single-use plastic, which is harmful for the environment. 

Yes. You can return empty bottles and jars and we’ll reuse or recycle them for free. We're working on introducing a points system for our customers for returns so that they can receive benefits for their efforts. Alternatively, some of our customers find creative ways to reuse their empties! 

Your feedback makes our day. If you have a bright idea or a product suggestion, please contact hello@camdairies.com. If we end up developing it into a product, we’ll give you a special mention on our social media and a Câm subscription free of charge. 

The easiest way is to order directly from our website. When you place your order, we’ll call you to confirm a delivery window and we’ll then deliver straight to your door. Our products will also soon be available to purchase in shops and supermarkets. 

Unfortunately not. We decided to solely accept digital payment because it’s more convenient and it’s safer for our team than holding and transporting cash. Most of all, handling cash would increase the cost of our operations and we simply didn’t want to pass on this cost to our customers.  

We currently deliver to customers in Lagos and Abuja. However, we’re growing fast and looking to add more locations soon.