What workedA member of a curd-making family in Borni union, Barlekha, Moulvibazar

Buffalo curd set in bamboo baskets at Tk 300 a kg: a family trade running on near-daily orders

A family on the bank of Hakaluki Haor in Barlekha, Moulvibazar, has made and sold curd from buffalo and cow milk since their father's and grandfather's time. When curd orders are slow, the same milk is turned into chhana for sweet shops.

A family in Nihari-Faringa village of Borni union, Barlekha upazila, Moulvibazar, on the bank of Hakaluki Haor, has run a curd business since their father's and grandfather's time. One family member, aged 54, says it is pure milk curd with nothing else added. The curd is set in a small bamboo and cane basket called a dhuchhoni, whose holes are sealed with a flour paste before buffalo milk is poured in. Cow-milk curd is also made as customers ask. Curd is set in baskets of two and five kilograms, at Tk 300 a kg. There are orders almost every day; some must be delivered to an address and others are collected from the house. The milk comes from local cow and buffalo owners. When curd demand is low, the milk is made into chhana and supplied to particular sweet shops. For weddings and events an order of one maund or more means milk has to be brought in from outside, and it is bought at the morning milk market at Abadi bazar on the haor bank. Besides Barlekha, buyers come from Juri, Sylhet and Golapganj. The baskets are made by a woman from a nearby village at Tk 40 each, and this work supports her family of 11. Because the curd is not promoted, it is not widely known, and locals say it needs government support.

Lessons

1.If curd orders are slow, turning the same milk into chhana for sweet shops avoids wasting it.
2.Big event orders can outrun your milk supply, so know an extra source, such as the morning milk market, in advance.
3.A distinctive container and pure taste give a product its identity, but without promotion the buyer base stays limited.

We published this with the person's permission, without revealing who they are.

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Lessons

1.If curd orders are slow, turning the same milk into chhana for sweet shops avoids wasting it.

2.Big event orders can outrun your milk supply, so know an extra source, such as the morning milk market, in advance.

3.A distinctive container and pure taste give a product its identity, but without promotion the buyer base stays limited.