Royal gift put dairy venture on path to success

A family crisis when Patiwat In-Pleang was 14 resulted in the late monarch sending them a dairy cow. The gift proved a lifeline and an inspiration for the family.
“My father suffered an accident in 2005 and that left my mother to take care of herself and me on her income of just Bt160 per day,” Patiwat, now 25, said.
“This motivated me, when I was only 14, to do anything that I could to improve the quality of live for my mother and myself.
“As result, I asked my grandfather who had retired to feed dairy cows how to do the same, and he gave me a dairy cow.”
From that humble start, Patiwat worked steadily to build up the operation until it was producing 8 kilograms of milk a day- generating income of B300 a day. But his mother, Auraiwan In-Pleang. still went out to work for Bt160 a day because she was not confident that the feeding of dairy cows could be turned into a sustainable business.
These uncertainties prompted Patiwat to submit a letter about his life to the Royal Chitralada Dairy Project of the late King in October 2005.
“I had been waiting for a response to the letter until March 2006, when the Royal Chitralada Dairy Project replied,” Patiwat said. “They sent a dairy cow to me in a gesture that inspired my mother to resign from her job and spend the rest of the family’s money, which came from my father’s insurance worth Bt200,000, to construct a building for the dairy cows.
“This reflected my mother’s confidence that dairy cows can be a viable business, and that is due to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s generosity in sending us a dairy cow.”
Eleven years after receiving the cow from the late King, Patiwat and his mother have enjoyed success in producing 600 kilograms a day from their dairy cows. This output covers both that from their farm and a farm contract.
He and his mother also established a limited partnership, In-Pleang Limted Partnership, with registered capital of Bt1 million in 2015. The limited partnership served their expansion plans that have seen them distribute their raw milk to bakeries, a cheese plant and a coffee shop in Chumphon province. The operation now also produces pasteurised milk, yoghurt, cheese, and ice cream under the brand In-Milk for sale in Chumphon and neighbouring provinces.
The limited partnership has enabled the operation – involving 50 cows - to generate average monthly sales of Bt400,000. Eleven years ago, they were making just Bt9,000 a month.
The family venture aims to increase production capacity from an average of 600 kilograms a day to 5,000 kilograms by collaborating with other farms under contract arrangements that will involve an investment budget of Bt20 million for the construction of production over this year and the next.
 “Our business plan is to produce pasteurised milk to serve the needs of students in Chumphon province under the government project, School Milk, and also to produce dairy products that meet the demand in the province,” Patiwat said.
Reflecting on his success, Patiwat said that if had not been for the revered monarch’s generosity in giving them a cow 11 years ago, the business might have not taken off.
“When the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej send a dairy cow to us, this inspired us to work hard during a time when we faced difficulties in the business,” Patiwat said. 
“This made us think about all that the late King did for his people, including those who faced even greater hardships than ourselves. And this inspired us to get through a difficult period and put us in a position to drive forward our business growth.”