Plant-Based Milk Helping Vulnerable Women in Africa

Australia’s non-dairy milk market — worth over USD 600 million annually and growing rapidly — is not only reshaping consumer preferences but also impacting lives in some of the world’s poorest communities through inclusive trade and sustainable supply chains. An Australian entrepreneur is spearheading this change by producing tiger-nut-based plant milk and forging equitable partnerships with female farming collectives in Burkina Faso.

Laura Hindson, founder of Madame Tiger, makes tiger nut milk — a creamy, slightly sweet plant-based milk made from tiger nuts, a nutritious root vegetable rich in fibre, iron, vitamins and minerals. Her Melbourne-based operation can produce up to 40,000 litres per day, with demand rising both in Australia and globally.

Crucially, Madame Tiger sources tiger nuts from a female farming collective in Burkina Faso called Mousso Faso (“land of the wholehearted woman”), where growers were previously paid low, exploitative rates. The business now pays three to four times the prior prices, directly improving incomes for more than 600 women and their families. Stable trade relations have enabled community investments such as sorting shelters, wells, better washing facilities, warehouses and pipelines, enhancing both economic resilience and living conditions.

Advocates say that secure income has broader benefits beyond economics, including support for education and community infrastructure in one of the world’s poorest nations, where literacy is around 22 % and life expectancy is below 62 years. By embedding ethical sourcing into a growing food-innovation sector, the model exemplifies how plant-based dairy alternatives can align commercial growth with social impact.

Source : Dairynews7x7 Jan 5th 2025 SBS Australia