North Aston Dairy started with nothing but a partner investment of Ł16000 in 2005 to buy machinery and convert a stable block into animal housing, a parlour, dairy and processing room. With great local support it now has a herd of just 17 Ayrshire cows, no bank debts, an annual turnover of Ł80000, has one full-time and 1 part-time employee and is generating some Ł30000 profit for investment and the drawings of one partner. In this session Josh will talk about how the business began with private loans from locals (‘Cow Bonds’) and has grown with demand and within its means. He will give a breakdown of the business’ accounts, looking at costings for milk, cream and yoghurt production, packaging and the various delivery methods that the business uses to direct sell in the local area.
