As of tomorrow, customers at Taylor Street's 125 Old Broad Street café will have the chance to order camel milk in their coffee in return for a £1 donation to the agricultural development charity. The milk will also be available from Taylor Street's Brighton store from Saturday 8 February, until stocks run out.
The initiative is the brainchild of UK food journalist Rich Ford, who is raising funds for Farm Africa by running the Brighton Half Marathon later this month.
The camel milk is being sourced from the Emirates Industry for Camel Milk & Products (EICMP), which markets milk from a camel herd in the United Arab Emirates under the brand name Camelicious.
“When I first approached Camelicious about my fundraising project for Farm Africa, ordering a ‘camelatte’ in my favourite coffee shop seemed like a dream – but it’s one that’s about to come true,” said Ford.
Taylor Street co-founder Andrew Tolley said he was 'incredibly excited' to be involved in the project.
“High quality products, exploring flavours and helping to develop communities are founding principles of Taylor Street, and running is an obsession of mine,” he explained.
Camel milk
Ford hopes that in addition to raising money for Farm Africa, the initiative will raise awareness of camel milk in the UK.
“Cow, goat and even buffalo milk are all widely available in the UK now and there’s no reason why camel milk can’t make it into the mainstream here too,” he said.
Camel milk, which has a ‘clean and palatable’ taste similar to semi-skimmed cow’s milk, is rich in fatty acids and has around half the fat of cow’s milk, as well as up to three times the amount of vitamin C.
It is used in coffees sold throughout the UAE and has been imported into the EU by EICMP since July last year.
EICMP deputy general manager and business development manager, Mr Mutasher Al Badry, said his organisation hoped to build a “strong camel milk industry” in the UAE and encourage other camel farming areas to do the same.
“Camel milk has always been known in the Middle East, as well as in Eastern Africa, but the accessibility for the wider public has always been limited,” he explained.
“We, as the Emirates Industry for Camel Milk & Products (EICMP), have been reaching out to the broader community in the UAE to encourage a healthy lifestyle since 2006 and have been promoting the benefits of camel milk as a natural and traditional resource of the region and a healthy alternative to cow’s milk ever since.”