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FUW President Glyn Roberts, winner of the outstanding service to Welsh dairy industry award Laurence Harris of Daioni and HSBC Regional Agriculture Manager for Wales Euryn Jones.[/caption]
Well known north Pembrokeshire organic dairy farmer Laurence Harris, who founded the internationally recognised company Daioni, has been honoured with the Farmers’ Union of Wales/ HSBC outstanding service to Welsh dairy industry award at last night’s eve of Dairy Show function in Carmarthen.
A dairy farmer for over 40 years, Laurence has taken Daioni – meaning “goodness” - from strength to strength.
The brand’s humble beginnings began with a 150-acre farm in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Since taking over Ffosyficer farm – still the heart of the Daioni business – from his father in 1970, Laurence expanded the family farm to well over 3,000 acres of fertile pasture.
“Over the years I became increasingly concerned about our farming practises and how we could improve ourselves - so we converted the farm to organic production in 1999,” said Mr Harris.
Since then, Laurence and his team have added value to their premium quality dairy produce which has culminated in the launch of the Daioni brand and a suite of products that are being sold internationally.
“We initially set up the business with a single tanker and a couple of lorries and sent our milk to north Wales to be processed and packaged and in 2003 we launched Daioni, the first range of flavoured organic milk drinks in Britain,” added Mr Harris.
From the initial interest shown by local schools to put the product in their vending machines as an alternative to fizzy, sugary drinks, the business has flourished.
Today the range of products has grown to include organic fresh milk and cream, organic UHT/longlife milk, alongside the flavoured milk and “Daionic”, an organic longlife high protein sports drink.
“Laurence Harris is a fine example of why our Welsh dairy farmers are the backbone of rural life and I congratulate him wholeheartedly on winning this award today” said FUW president Glyn Roberts.
“He has achieved so much for Welsh dairy produce and farming over the years – even when Laurence and his family sadly lost the whole of their milking herd to bovine TB in 2009, they decided to face the issue head on and use their story to educate the public about the effect that the disease is having on the agricultural industry and the need for the Government to tackle its spread in cattle and wildlife,”
In 2008 Daioni flavoured milk was exported oversees for the first time and is now stocked in outlets around the world as well as in small retailers and major supermarkets across the UK.
In addition, in 2012 Daioni became the first British dairy company to gain organic certification in mainland China and in 2014 they opened their Hong Kong office to focus on Asia Pacific sales. Today exports account for over 15% of the business turnover.
Around twenty local people are employed by the farming business which today is solely owned by the Harris family and continues to go from strength to strength.
“We pride ourselves on the quality of our organic milk, from home-grown cows that freely roam the grassy climbs of West Wales. Through the combination of happy cows, fertile soils and abundant grass, we have found the winning formula for delicious, flavoursome and quality milk,” said Mr Harris.
FUW senior policy officer Dr Hazel Wright, a judge on this year’s award selection panel, said: “Given the many challenges currently facing the Welsh dairy sector, it was a pleasure to reward the hard work, tenacity and innovation of the Harris family.”