Investigating where our milk comes from.....The Douglasdale Dairy Tour

We recently had the opportunity of gathering with 25 moms and 40 kids and teens

on a homeschool tour of the Douglasdale Dairy and Milk Production Plant.

It's located in Bryanston at the end of a T-Junction.

Tucked away in a green corner!

Such a lovely experience!

We all met up at the Farmhouse.

The original house built by old man Douglas in 1905.

It's 111 years old!

Cute cow themed ornaments big and small in various places.

The tour started with a brief introduction and then a video explaining

the history of the dairy and the special care taken to provide South Africa

with a healthy safe product.

I was happy to hear that they strive to be as green as possible 

and friendly to the environment.

The lovely, friendly Melisa, our tour guide.

The younger kids sitting attentively on polished wood floors in the front 

with the teens and moms bringing up the rear.

 Mr Douglas started selling his milk to  neighbours in glass bottles all those years ago.

I remember as a child having milk delivered to our home in glass bottles.

We put tokens in the empty bottles left out on the stoep for the milkman

and he would leave us full bottles of milk in return.

This is a photograph of the farmhouse built in 1905.

This is the farmhouse today.

Beautiful!

I could live here quite happily!

After the presentation we headed out to feed the calves.

They were eager and gulped the formula down so quickly!

This little one slobbering all over Liam's hand.

Keirah - Liam's new friend.

After a good feeding and patting session we split into two groups.

The little ones with their moms headed over to the plant while the

rest of us enjoyed the fresh air and pretty gardens.

Tea and coffee was made available in the kitchen to the moms.

We loved the wide open lawns.

One could almost imagine being out in the country 

instead of in the city.

The three calves - Batman, Oreo and McFlurry

Then it was our turn to view the production plant.

The dairy was eventually sold to another family who decided to sell the cows.

Douglasdale now collects milk from a variety of dairy farms in large tankers

and it comes here to the production plant to be processed under strict guidelines

to provide an excellent product to the public.

Melisa, briefing us on what to expect.

Got to love those hair caps!!! LOL!

As we walked into the sanitizing room at the plant (where everyone makes sure that they are

clean enough to enter the plant safely) Liam remarked on how clean everything smelled!

Shoes being sanitized.

Hands being sanitized.

The viewing window, ensuring that guests to the plant maintain the strict hygiene standards.

Bottling and crating of Amasi (a cultured soured milk product)

It takes the longest to process and so is done last each day.

I use Douglasdale Amasi to make my own preservative free cream cheese! So yummy!

Everything was so clean!

The floors gleamed!

They have a crate production facility on the premises and recycle and reuse crates.

They travel along, hanging from conveyor belts, are cleaned, sanitized and reused.

The plant is huge! 

In the distance we see large milk silos holding approximately 180 000 litres of milk each.

Kept at the perfect temperature.

The milk goes through a stringent process.

Milk collected from farms in tankers is tested by the on-site laboratory when it first arrives.

Ensuring there are no pathogens present.

Once it is processed and stored in the silos it is checked again.

Then it is bottled and finally, random checks are done again on samples

 from each batch to ensure a healthy pathogen free product for the consumer.

The bottled milk is then transported to various vendors.

It's amazing to think that this all happens on a daily basis!

A dam on-site which holds the cleaned water used during processing.

Not only does Douglasdale provide a variety of milk and milk products such as

Amasi, Cream and Buttermilk. They also make unsalted butter

which is sold commercially as well as skimmed milk powder

 which is used in products such as Nestle baby foods.

At the end of our tour we each received a parting gift!

Two branded Douglasdale glasses and a bottle of milk!

Every time we see a truck like this we will be reminded of this fun educational outing!

We enjoyed our visit to Douglasdale Dairy so much and would recommend it to everyone.

Book a tour through Melisa.

The tour is cost free!

Thank you Melisa!

Thank you Douglasdale Dairy!