Q. Can you tell us a bit more about Moo’trition?
Sure, we’re a milk bar based in Cheshire offering pasteurised fresh whole milk, milkshakes, hot beverages and ice cream from our vending machines.
We also have a viewing platform into the milking parlour where members of the public can come and watch our cows being milked.
I’m really passionate about educating people about the dairy industry and dispelling myths. I hope that by opening our doors and showing people how we milk our cows and, more importantly, explaining to them why we do it, I can do just that.
We started out with just one vending machine in September 2023 in what was, effectively, a garden shed but have now expanded to a much larger barn offering 12 different milkshakes in addition to our pasteurised fresh whole milk and artisan ice creams.
“As a fourth-generation farmer, with what can be said a fairly large dairy in comparison with the average in the country, I wanted to prove I could run my own business and not just rest on the laurels of those who came before me.”
Jack Allwood
Upstairs, we have the viewing platform that looks out over the rotary parlour that really helps us to explain how our milk travels just yards to go into our bottles!
Q. What made you want to launch the business?
I decided to launch Moo’trition for a few reasons. Growing up, I’ve always had non-agricultural friends which made me realise from an early age the majority of the general public don’t actually know what we do as farmers.
This belief was furthered after I went to a city university and studied accounting and financial investment – not exactly an ‘ag degree’ but hey, all business is relative!
Being consistently around people who were not farmers for four years further reinstated my belief that we need to do more as an industry to educate exactly what goes into feeding the nation. The positive takeaway was that everyone I spoke to was always interested and intrigued by what actually went on within the dairy industry.
Leaving uni amid the pandemic, it was great to see the general public showing their appreciation for farmers and, perhaps as a result, we saw the popularity of vending machines selling milk and milkshakes soar.
Jack’s Moo’trition business is based at his family’s dairy farm in Cheshire.
While it can be said the idea to start a milkshake vending machine wasn’t the most original, I was excited to use the business as a way to educate people on the benefits of milk. It is so much more than just a ‘footfall product’ in a supermarket, or a day-to-day staple for your cereal or morning brew.
There is a need for us to promote the dairy industry as a whole. A lot of people are nervous to open themselves up to the public but welcoming them to our farm to watch our cows being milked has been a fantastic experience and a great way to dispel myths about the sector.
In addition to this, I also had a point to prove. As a fourth-generation farmer, with what can be said a fairly large dairy in comparison with the average in the country, I wanted to prove I could run my own business and not just rest on the laurels of those who came before me.
Q. How did you get started and how has it been working with your dad?
The first thing I needed to do was approach my dad about the idea. We have, however, had many conversations over the years about the various issues within the industry so he knew I wanted to do something new.
I’m lucky and very grateful that approaching him about the business was actually very easy. I owe everything to my dad as he has always pushed me to go and learn new things and has never held me back.
“There are many challenges when starting a business. The key worry for everyone is probably financial, but for me, it was a real sense of being thrown in at the deep end!”
Jack Allwood
When we discussed the business, he was very supportive and actually quite excited too.
He did, however, tell me not to let it affect my time on the farm as our one difference of opinion was that he believes if you’re farming, you don’t have time for another business.
I, on the other hand, think if you work as a team and have the right people, why can’t you have multiple businesses with multiple outlets? But it all seems to have worked out in the end, he even came up with the name for the business!
After getting the green light from Dad, the next step was borrowing the money to get started. With no assets myself, I approached Oxbury Bank as we had just moved our farming business to them. They had a programme called NewGen where you can potentially borrow up to £250,000 with no assets if you’re starting a business with agriculture and/or land.
Q. What challenges have you run into?
There are many challenges when starting a business. The key worry for everyone is probably financial, but for me, it was a real sense of being thrown in at the deep end! There are a lot of things you’re doing for the first time, a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that you never think about before starting a business and it’s very easy to not forward think enough. Everything also always seems to take longer to do than you expect.
Getting your head around all of the safety standards and regulations is also difficult to do when you have no idea to start with, but there is always help at hand.
The main one for me was probably that as the business grew it did start to take away from my time on the farm, so I had to act on this and develop the business to the point where I could still run the business and be on farm.
Q. What do you enjoy most about the business and do you have any tips for anyone starting out?
Running a business has lots of benefits and when it’s going well financially, there is no better feeling.
However, the part I enjoy the most is meeting customers of Moo’trition and educating them on the industry. So far, I’ve shown around 500 people round the farm and it’s been a real pleasure to teach people who aren’t from a farming background about the industry. Every time I explain something that to me seems so simple but to the customers is new information it makes me feel very proud to see such a positive reaction, it can be quite overwhelming.
In terms of tips, I’d say don’t be afraid to put your ideas out there. They may go wrong but that is all part of learning. If you think you’re right, you have to try and don’t be afraid to have a go and speak up for yourself.
Q. What’s next for Moo’trition?
As a business we have grown a lot and quite quickly. The first step was, of course, to get the money coming back into the business to be able to take the next step to help educate the public. Luckily that happened and I was able to put up a new building where the public are able to watch the cows being milked whenever they want – all part of my philosophy to open up the industry for consumers.
With the new building we were also able to start offering ice cream in addition to milk and milkshakes.
The transition from the small site to a bigger site was a really tough task and was probably the hardest part of the growth. Having to constantly plan ahead and wake up in the middle of the night to do certain things as we were running skeleton facilities whilst building the new building was tough.
Ideally, Moo’trition will continue to expand, both as a business and as a brand. I’d love to continue to educate the public even further on what we do as a milk producer on farm and what actually goes on within the dairy industry to, hopefully, promote the sector as a whole to the general public.
