Marcel Steingiesser gave up a 14-year career at the world’s biggest mining company to stake his future on what he says is an even better opportunity—Australian camel milk.
That’s because while demand is growing in the United States and Asia as camel milk’s purported health benefits attract drinkers outside the traditional markets in Africa and the Middle East, there simply aren’t enough camels available globally to supply the milk that retails for as much as $19 a liter ($72 a gallon) in parts of Asia.
Australia can fill that gap because it’s home to the biggest herd of wild camels in the world, said Steingiesser, who joined Good Earth Dairy as CEO in 2016, without ever having tasted the slightly salty milk that camels produce. Now he drinks it regularly.
“We have the opportunity to make the best camel milk,” Steingiesser said at Good Earth’s pilot dairy 100 miles north of Perth as Bob, a two-year-old male camel, nosed around his pockets for a handful of pellets. “Australia has an incredible reputation in food quality safety standards and that’s a great opportunity for all camel dairies in Australia.”
Until now, camels have been a problem in Australia. Wild camels have wreaked havoc across the Outback since they were first introduced in the 1840s to help explorers navigate the vast nation.