The world of milk collection

As with all our other milk depots, our Evercreech milk team quietly weaves around local farms collecting milk so we can enjoy the dairy products we select from the shop shelves. But what exactly is involved in getting that milk from the farm to the production sites? We spoke to Will Cawte, Operations Manager at our Evercreech depot to find out…

How much milk do you collect?

We collect around half a million litres of milk every day. Though at peak times this is closer to 700,000 litres per day.

Who is involved?

We have 26 farm collection drivers who travel to 175 farms each day. The team work shifts 24/7 with some starting at 6am and some at 5pm.

Our team of 21 transhipment drivers transport milk to the production sites of our customers. They do this around the clock transferring up to 12 loads a day. As well as delivering milk, on some return trips they bring back cream to utilise the kit effectively and maximise our profitability.

We also have 5 supervisors who plan the work and support our drivers. They too work day and night.

Overseeing the Evercreech operation is Will Cawte, the Operations Manager and Ben Padfield, the Depot Manager.

Do drivers visit the same farms each day?

No. We have two routes that alternative every other day. That’s because some farms have daily milk collections while others are every two days. The frequency of collection depends on how much milk they produce and the capacity of the milk storage tanks. Some milk producers also incentivise farms to have collections every two days to reduce the miles driven and improve their carbon footprint.

What might we not know?

The job goes beyond collecting milk. At every farm the driver also has to wash the milk tank to ensure it is clean ready for the next milking. They also have to take a sample of the milk at each farm which must be kept chilled and returned to the sample fridge at the Evercreech depot. Every day these samples are sent to the National Milk Laboratories (NML) where they check the quality of the milk.

Our drivers also carry out risk assessments on behalf of our customers. The results of these are used to make improvements to farm sites from a health and safety perspective. They can also help farms pass their red tractor audit – a quality standard for UK farms that is necessary to be able to supply milk.

What extra kit does a milk tanker need?

Obviously the ability to suck up milk, but our milk tankers also have a box at the back with a system that counts the number of litres collected and records the temperature of the milk for each farm. A print out is left at the farm and the information is also shared with our customer for audit purposes.

How does success get measured?

Our main goal is to collect the milk in a timely manner but our customers also measure us against the number of litres we collect per litres of fuel we use to ensure we operate as sustainably as possible.