Brown’s is one of East Africa’s most established homegrown food brands, literally starting in the kitchen over 32 years ago. Fond as he was of brie, David Brown convinced his wife Sue to start making it at home with excess milk from their dairy herd, and today the company has burgeoned into the largest producer of cheese in the East African region.
About the Owner
Brown’s is now owned by Delia (David & Sue’s daughter) and her husband Andy, who have expanded production into ice-cream, preserves, cheese crackers and more. 2nd generation dairy farmers up in the highlands of Tigoni, Delia says she didn’t realize how lucky she was to grow up drinking fresh milk every morning without any concern of where it had come from or if it was safe to drink. Having always been a believer in organic farming methods, Delia has based much of Brown’s production techniques around the organic pillars, however only recently has she officially achieved organic certification for their delicious raw organic farm milk.
The Happiest of cows for the Healthiest of milk
All of Brown’s cows live a pretty lush life if you ask me! Grazing in large open fields which are topped up with mountains of fresh greens grown on the farm. Delia explains how naturally cows are browsers and so eat a wide range of grasses, bushes and even small trees, so why change this? Not only are these greens good for the cows but the milk they produce as a result is high in Omega 3 and 6, antioxidants and proteins.
Aside from this delicious diet, Delia casually informs us that the Brown’s team lie down in the cow’s beds on a regular basis to test if it is warm, dry and cozy enough for their precious cows – ‘if you don’t want to lie down in it, why should they!’ It is this farming style that ensures that no drugs or hormones are ever needed as the cows are happy and therefore healthy.
Local Dairy Farmers
Wherever possible, Brown’s support local growers and producers, unless of course they can’t get the quality they are after, which can sometimes result in Delia gallivanting all over the continent to find the perfect ingredient (see Delia’s Chocolate Ice Cream)! Their pecorino comes from Maasai sheep in the Rift Valley. Brown’s team along with other experts in the industry run regular training with their local suppliers to make sure that heir farming principles align with the Brown’s principles of high welfare and health standards. Giving these dairy farmers an opportunity to improve the quality of their milk and the health of their cows is a huge way in which Brown’s supports and empowers the local community.
