As a socially responsible, sustainable business we are proud of the opportunities that we create in the local communities.
60% of the staff who work on our farm are female! Yep, from our CEO and Head Chef through all the roles covered by staff on the farm and in the kitchen we are a predominantly female enterprise.”
And of course, the dairy itself was set up to create families with a regular income stream from an underutilised resource, namely female buffalo; male buffalo being sold for meat. The facility for milking buffalo and keeping them well-fed, healthy and safe and the cheese-making production facility to process the milk provide employment opportunities for our staff.
We also provide Internships in the production facility for local women in order to help them acquire skills and work experience and to give them access to the tourism job market.
The women who work on our farm know that they will always be supported because strong women are represented in senior management. They have gone out of their way to lift up and promote women to work on the farm. Women working on our farm are given an opportunity to earn money and make a life for themselves. Often in Laos women will marry young and they will then be expected to stay at home which may or may not match their original aspirations. On the farm the women who work here are given free accommodation, allowing them to stay safely on the farm, save some money and ultimately make their own life choices without outside pressures.
Meet some of our staff:
Saisamone is a constant smiling face on our farm. Whether she is taking tours or working with the buffalo she is always a ray of sunshine. She is incredibly smart, graduating from the Northern Agriculture and Forestry College in 2016, having studied livestock and fishery for 3 years. She can also speak fluent English! She knows everything there is to know about buffalo and if you’re lucky enough to have her take you on a tour of the farm in the future you will see first hand how knowledgeable she truly is!
With the effects of COVID-19, for a while, the tours stopped. However, with the dairy open again, Saisamone looks forward to once again welcoming visitors curious to learn about the farm and keen to taste our delicious products!
Oudone was driving past the farm one day and was intrigued. She decided to come in and apply for a job on the farm but she’s scared of buffalo, so she found her home in the kitchen. Before working on the farm she hadn’t eaten cheese before let alone made it. So with the expert guidance of our head chef, she is now brilliant at making all of the cheeses you can see on our menu. She also worked for months on our farm with her cousin without having any idea they were cousins! There was much rejoicing when Oudone’s sister came to visit and informed them both of the family connection. She works incredibly hard and is as diligent a person as you will ever meet. She also sends a large portion of her wages back to her family to support them.
Mone has worked on the farm for the past 4 years. She came to the farm at 20 years old with a daughter and a marriage that wasn’t working out. The farm offered her free accommodation and a stable income. She supports her daughter to go to school and study visiting her every day if she can while she stays with them in her village. Mone comes from a background of limited education but she’s incredibly smart and she has been given the opportunity to move through the ranks and is spoken of someone who could move into a senior position on the farm side of the dairy.
Bounmee has been working with us on the farm since the very beginning. She started with us a day worker, but it became apparent very quickly that she was dedicated to her job and we hired her full time. She has worked in the kitchen and on the buffalo side of the farm. Bounmee has an infectious laugh and is referred to by the staff as “Mum Mee” because of her caring nature. She cannot read or write so for her to work on the farm during the pandemic has been a great opportunity for her family as she can continue to work to earn money for an enterprise that actively supports women.
Tourism in Need
COVID-19 has badly affected tourism and visits to the farm. In order to mitigate some of the effects of the loss of income this has meant for the dairy, we have teamed up with the Tourism in Need initiative, that supports responsible tourism organisations affected by the pandemic. Through this initiative, travellers can support the dairy through the Give today, go tomorrow fundraising scheme. Click here to find out more and to make a contribution to help us to pay farmers and staff, and continue to train farmers and work on our nutrition program.
BREAKING NEWS!!!!
2020 Experience Mekong Showcases
We have some fantastic news that we are just bursting at the seams to get out to you!
On Monday night we found out that we are one of the finalists in the 2020 Mekong Experience Showcases. According to the members of the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group, we fit the bill for the 3 main principles:
1. To make a significant social impact in our community.
2. To provide an authentic local experience for tourism.
3. To have an innovative and sustainable concept in our business model.
We are so excited to have been singled out as one of the responsible small businesses to do this. But it isn't over quite yet! There is still another round of voting to go through.
From 7 July to 15 August we are asking that you please go to www.destinationmekong.com/ems2020/ and vote for us.
The winner will be announced on 25 August.