Goat's Milk Ice Cream

SIBU: TYC Goat and Livestock Sdn Bhd is taking an innovative step forward in promoting and creating awareness on the health benefits of organic goat’s milk through their homemade goat’s milk ice-cream.
Speaking to The Borneo Post on Sunday night, farm owner Loh Yu Yee said the idea came about upon realising that some parents were having a hard time in persuading their children to drink goat’s milk.
“Goat’s milk is one of the least favourite drinks among children, but they sure do love ice-cream.
“So, because goat’s milk is so rich in nutrition, I need to come up with something they love,” she said.
After some research and trials and errors, she finally came up with their original goat’s milk ice-cream.

When she first introduced the flavour at the Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) in July, it was a big hit.
“There were long queues for the goat’s milk ice-cream which was all snapped up within 10 minutes.
“We just wanted to see the response, so we only brought 50 cups on our first day of the sale, we did not know it would be sold out in less than 10 minutes,” she recalled.
Added Loh: “We brought in 100 cups on the second day. Again, they were sold out in less than 10 minutes.”
“The third time we brought in 800 cups, and we sold them in two sessions, one started at 7pm and the other, 8.30pm.
“In both sessions, the ice-cream was sold out in less than one hour,” she said.
That gave Loh the confidence to research and try out new flavours at home.
The result was five new flavours — Horlick, Milo, chocolate, coffee and green tea.

Last Sunday night, they introduced these flavours with free ice-cream testing session at a hotel.
The 68 people who participated in the testing session did not just test the ice-cream but were entertained with interactive games and gifts.
“The purpose of the testing was to receive feedback from the participants and through their feedback, we would see what we need to improve on the flavours,” she explained.

From the feedback, most think that the Horlick flavour is the best.
Loh said they would start selling these new flavours on Sept 16 at the Town Square from 7pm until 10.30pm.
According to her, she reduced the sugar content of her goat’s milk ice-cream by 50 per cent to maintain its nutritious level.

Loh said she was already contemplating introducing ice-creams with fruit flavours.
“It’s a bit challenging because fresh fruits have water,” she pointed out.


Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/08/28/farm-sells-goats-milk-as-ice-cream/#ixzz24n6sipgg

Katjang Goat

Goat Milk

SIBU: TYC Goat and Lifestyle Sdn Bhd provides healthier milk in the form of organic goat’s milk which contains no additives, assures its person-in-charge Loh Yu

He said they keep 500 to 600 goats at their farm at Km28 Oya Road.
“Ours are purely organic and pure goat’s milk. A 300ml bottle costs RM8. Delivery may be arranged for every purchase of two or more bottles,” he said.

According to him, goat’s milk is nutritious and more health-enhancing than cow’s milk because of its high level of calcium, potassium, phosphorus and trytophan.
He said their goats feed on grass and corn.

“We’ve a record of an asthmatic boy who no longer gets asthma attacks after drinking our milk. The same happened with my sister. It’s proof that goat’s milk is beneficial to health,” Loh claimed.
Loh said goat’s milk tasted better than cow’s milk, though some people thought it tasted awful.

“Maybe it’s because of the sour taste. If it’s sour, the milk could have been exposed for too long at room temperature,” Loh explained.
The company also produces organic goat’s milk soap which can last for about a year only as no chemical is used.

“It comes with different flavours such as lime, orange, lavender and so forth and is suitable for everyone,” he said of the soap the company started producing a year ago.
For details, call 084-338797 or email tycfarm@gmail.com


Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/05/30/try-organic-goats-milk-the-healthier-milk/#ixzz22082kL61

Posted on May 30, 2012, Wednesday

SIBU: TYC Goat and Lifestyle Sdn Bhd provides healthier milk in the form of organic goat’s milk which contains no additives, assures its person-in-charge Loh Yu Chieat. He said they keep 500 to 600 goats at their farm at Km28 Oya Road. “Ours are purely organic and pure goat’s milk.  A 300ml bottle costs RM8. Delivery may be arranged for every purchase of two or more bottles,” he said.

According to him, goat’s milk is nutritious and more health-enhancing than cow’s milk because of its high level of calcium, potassium, phosphorus and trytophan. He said their goats feed on grass and corn. “We’ve a record of an asthmatic boy who no longer gets asthma attacks after drinking our milk. The same happened with my sister. It’s proof that goat’s milk is beneficial to health,” Loh claimed.

Loh said goat’s milk tasted better than cow’s milk, though some people thought it tasted awful. “Maybe it’s because of the sour taste. If it’s sour, the milk could have been exposed for too long at room temperature,” Loh explained.

The company also produces organic goat’s milk soap which can last for about a year only as no chemical is used. “It comes with different flavours such as lime, orange, lavender and so forth and is suitable for everyone,” he said of the soap the company started producing a year ago.

For details, call 084-338797 or email tycfarm@gmail.com

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/05/30/try-organic-goats-milk-the-healthier-milk/#ixzz1wzmLRJif

Goat Breed

Couple open their organic farm to young people

Story and photos by PHILIP HII
philiphii@thestar.com.my

AN INTEGRATED farm has been set up near Sibu by a young couple to promote awareness on loving and caring for the environment especially among young people. Adams Tang Jung Lung and his wife Loh Yu Yee, both 34, said they had committed themselves to protecting the environment by providing opportunities for others to visit their farm which used environment-friendly methods of rearing animals and planting crops.

Noble mission: Tang and Loh’s aim is to carry out environmental protection.
 

“We must refrain from carrying out activities that cause environmental degradation. Knowledge about environmental protection should be inculcated in our children from a tender age,” said Loh. She said that most urban children did not have much opportunities to get close with nature. “This is why we opened our 35ha farm for group visits,” she said, adding that tours were organised for children to understand various aspects of nurturing the environment to support crops and animals. The couple established TYC Goat and Livestock Farm (TYC Farm) at Km45 of the Sibu-Bintulu Road in 2003.

Valuable products: The farm produces fresh goat’s milk and goat-milk soap for the local market

From the humble beginning of a dozen local goats, the farm has grown to have more than 800 goats and 30 cows. “Our goats are imported from Australia. They include the Boer, Brabados, Saanen, Anglo Nubian and British Alpine species,” Tang told StarMetro. He said the farm no longer needed to import goats as breeding at the farm had been successful.

Nutrient-rich: Ong, who is in charge of producing organic fertiliser, showing a bag of the product

The Saanen, British Alpine and Anglo Nubian were dairy goats while the rest were for meat, he said.

There are more than 200 dairy goats at TYC Farm which produce high-quality fresh milk daily. “We bottle the milk and sell it at organic shops in town. Fresh goat milk is rich in Vitamin A and AHAs which are well known for restorative and rejuvenating properties,” said Loh. She said that the surplus milk was used to make goat-milk soap which was 100% organic with 30% of the ingredients comprising goat’s milk and the rest palm oil, coconut oil, olive oil, orange essential oil and lavender essential oil. “The soap is handmade with the highest-quality milk from our farm complemented with the purest vegetable oil and scented with the highest grade imported essential oils,” Loh added.

Productive: The earthworms make two tonnes of organic fertiliser at the farm every month.

She said the soap had advantages over industrial soap as it could stimulate skin regeneration, exfoliate, cleanse, soften and alleviate complexion dullness. It has no artificial colouring or preservatives. Loh was confident that, with more publicity and better packaging, more environment and health-conscious people would use the soap. TYC Farm also supplies goat meat for the local market. “Prices for the meat is stable and we sell it at RM35 to RM45 per kg,” Tang said.

It takes two-and-a-half years for a goat to mature and be ready for slaughter. Imported species such as the Brabados can grow up to 120kg. TYC Farm is almost self-reliant on animal feed. It grows napier grass for the cows while the goat-feed comprises a mixture of corn, sago, rice husk and napier grass. “We grow hybrid corn which is rich in protein and blended it with the other food for the goats,” Tang said, adding that it would be difficult for the farm to be sustainable if it depended on imported animal feed.

Nothing is wasted at TYC Farm. It is uses earthworms in a big way to produce organic fertiliser from animal and plant waste. “We produce two tonnes of organic fertiliser a month. This fertiliser is environmental-friendly, non-toxic, odourless and anti- mildew besides being rich in 17 nutrients which help neutralise the soil ph,” said Ong Yung Chang, who is in charge of producing the fertiliser.He said the earthworms, which were initially imported from Australia, multiplied very fast into large numbers.The fertiliser is packed into 5kg bags and sold at RM10. The husband-wife team plans to expand the farm by rearing fish, rabbits and deer. “We are keen to build facilities like hostels and meeting rooms for visitors who may want to stay overnight at the farm,” the couple said. The farm employs 20 workers. Both Tang and Loh also work for the family’s construction, transportation and ready-mixed concrete businesses.

‘Uniquely Sarawak’ soaps from Goat Milk

‘Uniquely Sarawak’ soaps

by Ronnie Teo ronnieteo@theborneopost.com. Posted on November 18, 2010, Thursday

Incorporating dabai, sago and rice into soaps to make it native to the state

NATURAL OPTIONS: A compilation of Biotech Synergy’s natural products under the brand names Borneo Botanicals and Nature’s Best. 

KUCHING: Venturing into value-added products is one stepping stone to put oneself above competitors, as witnessed by Biotech Synergy Farm Sdn Bhd (Biotech Synergy) in its mission to come up with more products from goat’s milk.

This sentiment was expressed by principal director Cassandra Havelock during her courtesy call on The Borneo Post earlier this week. “Goat’s milk and other dairy products have a quick sell-by date. So, we aim to venture into other possibilities with longer due dates such as soaps, shampoos, moisturisers and so on while making full use of the beneficial qualities of the milk,” she affirmed.

Under the brand name Borneo Botanicals, examples of such forays were the group’s use of distinctive Sarawak additions in its goat’s milk soaps like ‘dabai’ (local olive), sago, pepper, ‘kacangma’ and even local rice varieties such as red rice, black rice, brown rice and Jawa rice.

The group’s joint development efforts with Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) and Agricultural Research Centre (ARC) allowed Biotech Synergy to incorporate local essences to make it native to Sarawak while keeping its products as natural as possible.

One particular highlight that puts Sarawak on the global map, said Cassandra, was ‘dabai’ (scientifically known as Canarium odontophyllum) which was a seasonal fruit indigenous to Sarawak.

“It is an underutilised fruit in the state due to its quick deterioration rate of about three days. People usually consume it when it is in season, but other than that, it goes to waste. We then thought of incorporating it into our goat’s milk soaps and the result was fantastic,” Cassandra said. “Its high content of fat and fatty acids add to the moisturising and hydrating properties of the soap. The fruit is naturally rich in antioxidants and minerals as well.”

In fact, current studies from University Putra Malaysia (UPM) backed this stance, highlighting that the main fatty compositions of ‘dabai’ were very similar to that of palm oil – a common ingredient in soap-making.

“Trial orders of Borneo Botanical Dabai Moisturising Soap and other soaps have already been sent to countries such as France and the principality of Monaco (Monte Carlo). We are currently looking at places such as Qatar next year with Matrade (Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation),” Cassandra added.

Apart from Borneo Botanicals, the group also has another brand name, Nature’s Best, to cater for users who prefer imported infusions in its soaps like lavender, palmarossa and bergamot on top of shea butter, extra-virgin olive oil, almond oil, avocado and vanilla extracts. “Our farm-made soap produces a dense soap although it does not contain any colouring, fragrance, parabens, propylene glycols, SLS and lather boosters.

“We use the freshest and highest quality ingredients such as Vitamin E which deteriorates slower. This is why even without any artificial preservatives, our soaps can last very long.”

The group’s co-principal director Fred Lee added that they also combined the natural loofah scrub with its soaps to form the one-of-a-kind Doc Loofah scrubs with the aim of uniting the best of both worlds.

“This also helps the local farmers who have hundreds of natural loofah scrubs produced as a side business but with low demand for it,” Lee said. “In a way, our ventures into dabai and loofah scrubs are helping the local economy as well.”

Havelock added, “Next year, we aim to produce goat cheese and be the first goat cheese farm in Sarawak. This will show other farmers not to solely depend on milk as a product.”

Lee stressed on the company’s focus on both downstream as well as upstream processes being the underlying strength of Nature’s Farm’s operational success to date.

“We can work well, because we control the supply chain from the source,” he said. “This goat-rearing venture is not a hobby for us. We put our heart and soul into it. Agriculture is not a sunset industry – we need to change the mindset of the community to realise that.” Thanks to the duo’s innovative ideas and determined zeal, several government bodies and companies are giving grants and awards to in recognition of its well-earned work.

In fact, Sarawak’s Veterinary Services under the Agriculture Department has made the group a model farmer for its admirable practices and innovation.

“In fact Sarawak Biodiversity Centre’s chief operating officer Dr Rita Manurung and her staff have also been giving us the support. We are very fortunate that a lot of depertments that we deal with have given us their strong support and a lot of them offer their expertise and time so that we can strive to be better at what we do,” Lee said.

He added that the group, which had already ventured into making soaps, shampoos, loofah body scrubs and such, was looking to expand its product range to cater to pet care.

“This is a big untapped market, especially for pets that are sensitive to chemicals. We are currently conducting test on pets with positive results,” Lee affirmed.

“Now, we are repositioning our target market to the vegan market. This market is bigger on a global scale. We fit perfectly with our use of strictly-natural products,” Havelock revealed.

In line with this, Nature’s Farm is currently looking for agents throughout the country and abroad to help with its marketing and distribution front.

“We plan to maintain our focus on research and development to come up with variety and other products. Our soap production and sale is now stable in the state so we are now thinking of going nationwide with it.”

Within the next two years, the company hopes to do more value-adding as well as research and development to its business to further implore possibilities.

For further information, call Havelock at 017-2286696 or email to biotechsfarm@yahoo.com.sg.