Mapleton man makes milk gentle on tummy, better in every way

Jeff Hastings pours some of the good stuff. Milk processed using the Haelen method is twice as digestible as any other processed cow’s milk on the Australian market, without adding anything.

It all sounds too good to be true. But it’s not, according to the Mapleton man behind a revolutionary processing method that not only makes milk retain more of its natural taste and goodness and last for up to 60 days without going off – it has also proven to make milk dramatically gentler on the stomach.

Naturo CEO and Founder Jeff Hastings said consumer trials and recent CSIRO research validation proved that milk processed using his Haelen method resulted in fresh, natural milk that was twice as digestible as any other processed cow’s milk available on the Australian market, without adding anything to it.

Wholey Milk, pictured, is the company’s fresh milk brand produced using the Haelen method. 

“Because we don’t rely on heat in processing, we’re able to retain much of the goodness in milk that otherwise gets de-natured or destroyed in standard pasteurization,” said Jeff. 

“We don’t add anything to the milk, everything we need is already in the milk, we’ve just figured out a way to keep it there.” 

In more good news for the company it was approved this month to manufacture and sell its product, Wholey Milk, for export.  

“When you add that to the fact that our milk has got a 60-day shelf life (up from 14 days), it means that any Australian milk, made using the Haelen method, can now be exported in a ship from Australia to the four corners of the globe,” he said.

Jeff said the company looked forward to partnering and licensing its Haelen technology to other producers in Australia and around the world. 

The improved digestibility of Haelen-produced milk had also captured global attention. 

“Apparently 68 percent of the world are somehow sensitive to dairy milk,” he said. “So that’s a lot of people that can now drink our milk.

“A second market is people that are into sports recovery, or sports nutrition. They’re looking for hydrolysed whey proteins. And with the Haelen process, we naturally hydrolyze, or break up, these whey proteins. So it will become a ready-to-drink sports product.

“Thirdly, a lot of one to four-year-olds have  trouble transitioning from breast milk into cow’s milk. And the reason for that – and it’s the same reason all the way through – is that we have trouble with these whey proteins. 

“That’s a key market, that may get people away from these infant formulas, or toddler formulas, which are very low in nutrition.  

“The fourth one is the elderly market. Again,  the elderly market has trouble tolerating milk.

“But the nutrients in our milk are more bio-available. And milk is one of the very few whole foods. It’s got every element that you need to keep your body alive.”

Jeff said most people in the world would be able to happily drink his milk with a few exceptions. “If you are allergic to dairy milk, we can’t help you. If you are medically diagnosed as intolerant to lactose, we can’t help you. But that’s only a small percentage of people. The vast majority, will love our milk.

“It’s unique. It solves a consumer problem, in terms of health and wellness. It solves the industry problem, in terms of the shelf life. You can ship milk – Australian milk – to the world. First time that’s ever been able to happen.” 

 Wholey Milk, pictured, is the company’s fresh milk brand produced using the Haelen method. It will be available on the shelves soon. The company hopes to expand into export markets next year. Go to www.wholeymilk.com or follow progress at www.facebook.com/HaelenMethod