Bollywood’s milk round: How an online milk service has created India’s celebrity milkmen

An online subscription service which delivers milk to Bollywood stars has helped an entrepreneurial farming family build one of the biggest dairies in India.

Parag Milk Foods processes and hand-delivers chilled milk from its dairy farm in Manchar to almost 50,000 consumers across some of India’s biggest cities.

Sold under its Pride of Cows brand, the service — which is only available by invite — has won high-end fans including actors, celebrity chefs, bloggers and well-known businesspeople.

And to be part of the exclusive clientele list, all of them are prepared to pay Rs120 (£1.40) per litre, three-times the usual retail price of milk, to get their hands on a bottle.

Pride of Cows has won high-end fans thanks to its quality milk and innovative service

Addressing milk safety

The success of the business comes from the brand’s ethos of selling high-quality, traceable and safe milk from cows they claim are the most pampered in India.

India is the world’s largest producer of milk, contributing to 20% of global milk production, as well as being the largest consumer of diary products, with 99% of households buying milk and cheese.

But keeping up with demand has led to some unscrupulous practices by certain processors…