Milk Procurement

On a daily basis, fresh milk is collected by our specialized tanker trucks from each of the sixteen farms supplying PINEHILL Dairy. Upon arrival at the farm, the first task of the truck driver is to visually inspect the milk still in the farm’s cooler, noting the color and smell while particularly looking for any signs of clotting or foreign matter. Using a thermometer, the driver will also record the temperature of the milk and note the volume of milk in the cooler tank.

Provided that there are no irregularities detected, the driver proceeds with connecting the hose from the back of the truck to the milk cooler nozzle and the milk transfer process begins. On completion of the transfer, the driver is then required to close the cooler nozzle outlet valve, replace the hose on its tray, close the milk room and continue to the next farm on the predetermined route.

After a day of milk collection, the driver returns to the Pine Hill Dairy with the milk collected in the tanker. On arrival, samples from each truck are collected and submitted to the laboratory where tests are conducted to determine the freshness and quality of the milk and to further ensure the absence of any antibiotic residue before the milk is offloaded from the tankers. Once all required lab tests have been passed, the drivers can proceed with off-loading the milk by connecting the hose from the truck to the discharge pump in the reception bay of the plant.

Every day, in addition to the initial tests performed on each tanker before off-loading, the laboratory performs a more complete analysis on the samples received. On a weekly basis, the laboratory conducts a complete analysis of samples collected from each farm from which a report is generated. Each farmer is supplied with the weekly report and therefore made aware of the test results. In instances where the milk has tested poorly, Warning Tickets are issued to the farmers.