After expensively packaged bottled drinking water, milk seems bent on acquiring the “luxury” tag. Govardhan, a private dairy, has targeted the niche luxury milk sector and has signed up a select group of South Mumbai families to avail Pride of Cows, its new milk delivery initiative.

The milk comes from a herd of specially-imported Jersey-Holstein cross-bred cows. The brand will be available in one-litre bottles priced at Rs. 75 per litre, a jump from the average price of Rs 28 per litre. These cows are being given a special diet that abounds in iron, vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Trained, uniformed delivery staff will transport the milk from Govardhan’s Bhagyalaxmi Dairy Farm near Pune to the homes of South Mumbai in a refrigerated vehicle.The South Mumbai families were selected following a survey done by the company.

“People have become very health conscious and have shown a lot of interest. State-of-the-art technology and temperature controlled logistics make it the first of its kind in the category. Pride of Cows brand will ensure mil that is exceptionally clean and low in bacterial count making it a healthy alternative,” Mr Edmund Piper, Bhagyalaxmi Farm Manager, said. Bhagyalaxmi Dairy Farm is spread over 35 acres housing 3,800 Holstein Freisens breed of cow. It is located between Bheema River and The Western Ghats in Manchar near Pune. “The milk is instantly pasteurized, chilled and packaged in bottles with no human contact to ensure that the milk is hygienically procured. In fact, every cow goes through an electronic health check up every time it is milked, to ensure that it is at peak health for milking,” Mr Piper said.