Yoghurt: The real deal for Mugabi

Milton Mugabi, a resident of Kalyabulo village, Ngoma Sub-county in Nakaseke District joined African Institute of Strategic Animal Resource Services and Development (AFRISA) in 2016 for further studies.
A diploma holder in business administration from St Lawrence University applied for the artisan certificate in integrated livestock and Agro-entrepreneurship (diary, poultry & bee industrial value chains).
He took interest in one of the course units, yoghurt and ice cream processing, because they had access to milk.
Dressed in a white overcoat and gumboots, it is easy to mistake the young man for a milk hawker as he criss-crosses Ngoma Sub-county in Nakaseke District purchasing raw milk from farmers.
Mugabi, makes a stop at one of the farmers’ gate. With his vehicle stationed at the gate, the farmer carries three cans of milk, which are weighed and the details recorded before being loaded onto the vehicle.
“I must capture every detail of the milk delivered because they will be crucial during payment,” says Mugabi.
The 26-year-old is slowly making inroads in the lucrative yoghurt industry that is attracting new consumers each day.
He runs Snavkat dairies that is based in Nakaseke District. The firm produces various flavours of yoghurt, including strawberry and vanilla.
“I started the processing firm in 2017, two years after graduating from St. Lawrence University,” Mugabi says.
He has employed six people, including diploma graduates in dairy, sales and marketing.
Mugabi collects the milk from farmers’ groups consisting of five to 10 members. “They collect their milk and sell as a group. I then pay them at the end of the month or as agreed.”

Processing yoghurt
Besides the groups, Mugabi also collects milk from his cows. The businessman-cum farmer has a dairy farm in Nakaseke.
“I credit my business to Prof John Kabasa of Makerere University. It was while attending his lectures at AFRISA that the idea of making yoghurt came,” he recounts.
“He floated the idea during a lecture and it was unanimously endorsed by all the students. We immediately started as a joint venture but after seven months, my colleagues opted out,” he says.
With Shs17m capital he had saved from his previous employment, Mugabi bought a refrigerator and a sealer.
However, this money was not enough to get him started as he still needed a pasteuriser, which is critical in yoghurt processing.
“It was tough at the beginning. I would sometimes use firewood for heating, which was expensive.”
He later applied for funding from a financial institution which was impressed with his efforts and offered him a pasteuriser worth Shs20m.
The pasteuriser saw him double his milk purchases from 200 litres a day to 300 litres. The farmers sell to him the milk at between Shs500 and Shs600.

Tests
Before he buys milk from farmers, Mugabi says they conduct three tests, namely for smell to ascertain freshness as some farmers are cunning and milk their animals at night and deliver the milk in the morning.
The second is acidity test, where the acid levels are checked using a lactometer and third, the density test is carried out before the milk is accepted for processing.
“Our biggest challenge is getting high quality milk from farmers. There are times you cannot get what you need.”

Making yoghurt
To make yoghurt, the milk goes through several stages. Fresh milk is pre-heated to 50 degrees Celsius to allow the mixing of ingredients such as sugar.
It is then pasteurised to 90 degrees Celsius for between 25 to 30 minutes before it is cooled to 43 degrees Celsius and then starter culture is added.
It is then incubated for six hours as acidity level is monitored. The acceptable concentration of acidity in the milk should be between 0.13 to 0.16 per cent.
“The yoghurt is then cooled further to below 15 degrees Celsius and flavours and colours added before it is sealed and packaged for the market,” says Mugabi.
Mugabi supplies his products to shops and supermarkets in Nakaseke and all the nearby towns such as Wobulenzi, Luwero and Katikamu among others.
“My goal is to have a footprint in all the major trading centres in central by 2020 before spreading to other districts.”

Advice
The former student of AFRISA advises young people wishing to venture into the industry to develop a culture of saving whenever they are employed whether on permanent or temporary basis.
“One of the lessons I have learnt is that saving a shilling is not a bad idea as long one wants to achieve a noble goal,” Mugabi says.
His plan is buy a cooler so that he can increase production and shift from his father’s plot to an independent venue.

Profits
From the 300 litres he collects, Mugabi makes up to 600 pieces of 500ml of yoghurt each day, which he sells at Shs1,000 each.

Step by step guide
To start, you will need at least 1 tablespoon plain, unflavoured yogurt with live cultures, 1 quart milk (low-fat is fine, but avoid ultra-pasteurised), a quart Mason jar, a cooler, a medium saucepan and a thermometer.
Pour the milk into the saucepan and put over medium-low heat. Bring the milk to 180 degrees F, stirring constantly to prevent scalding or skin forming on the surface. This re-pasteurises the milk and eradicates any bacteria that can cause spoilage during development of the culture. Remove from heat.
Place the saucepan in a larger pan full of cold water to bring the temperature down to 110 degrees F, again stirring to cool evenly. Once the milk reaches 110 degrees F, remove the saucepan from the pan of cold water, add 1 tablespoon plain cultured yogurt and stir to combine thoroughly.
Drain the Mason jar. Pour in the heated milk mixture. Cover with a lid, and return the jar to the hot water bath. Cover the cooler, and let it stand for eight to 12 hours. Do not move the cooler. You will get a better texture by allowing the bacteria to do their job undisturbed.
Remove the Mason jar from the water bath. Your yogurt should have a soft, gelatinous set. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
Your yogurt will keep in the refrigerator for at least two weeks, up to a month. Enjoy it as you would store-bought yogurt, with fruit and granola, or in sauces and dips. When you reach the end of your batch, you can repeat the process to create a new one, though you may need to use more starter.