About mooMark Private Limited

mooMark is a milk procurement company headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The company was established in 2020 with a distinct focus on leveraging advanced technology throughout the dairy supply chain to ensure traceability. It also employs rigorous quality tests at every stage of the milk supply chain, ensuring the freshness and traceability of every drop of milk. Initially concentrating on B2B milk procurement, the company expanded its scope in 2023 to include the creation of value-added products. The company’s core mission is to support farmers, dairy, and FMCG brands by providing them with private labeling & contract manufacturing as a service.

Context

The dairy sector still remains largely unorganized. About 80% of milk sold in India goes through unorganized channels (Sharma, H et al., 2021). As a result, every individual involved in the dairy supply chain, from the farmer to the end consumer, faces various challenges. The end consumer is worried about hygiene, sourcing, contamination, and other similar issues. Meanwhile, business owners are concerned about regulatory compliance and making the supply chain more robust and efficient. The farmer expects to produce better quality milk and be compensated with a fair remuneration. To address these challenges, mooMark attempts to establish dairy traceability by integrating various applications developed for the dairy industry

Hofstede (2005) defines traceability as the transparency of a supply chain. It refers to the extent to which all stakeholders have access to the product-related information they need, without any loss, delay, noise, or distortion, right from primary producers to end users. In the food industry, traceability is widely viewed as a must for ensuring food safety and quality.

Challenges in the Milk Supply Chain

mooMark encountered operational hurdles that hindered its digitization efforts at each stage of the milk supply chain. The challenges faced are listed below:

Farm

According to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), India has the highest cattle population in the world, but most of the milk production comes from smallholder farmers who own a few animals (Poopathi, S., and Abidha, S. 2012). Farm records are important for making key decisions. However, animal records, such as health, pedigree, reproduction, nutrition, milk yield, and quality, are not maintained properly by the farmers due to small-scale production and less literacy in record keeping.

Further, as the majority of the cows are not registered, it is quite challenging to trace the milk back to its source. This lack of registration affects the quality and safety of the milk, as there is no way to determine the health and living conditions of the cows or to ensure that proper protocols are being followed in milk production.

Collection center

Many collection centers still rely on manual record-keeping and outdated technology systems (Fig. 1). This can result in inefficiencies and errors (Deshmukh, M. A. et al, 2015). Adopting modern technology solutions such as digital milk collection devices and data analytics platforms can streamline operations and improve productivity.

Accurate measurement of the quantity of milk delivered by farmers is crucial for ensuring fair payment and transparency in the milk collection process. However, traditional manual measurement methods are prone to errors and inconsistencies, which can result in disputes between farmers and collection center operators. Therefore, there is a need for more reliable and accurate measurement techniques to ensure a smooth and fair milk collection process.

 

Fig. 1:Traditional Milk collection in a village in Kolar

Chilling center

Milk is a highly perishable commodity. To maintain its freshness, it has to be chilled to under four degrees Celsius within 3–4 hours of milking. Chilling the milk is a resource-consuming activity. A lot of electricity and human resources are employed. Further, these chillers should be constantly cleaned to avoid contamination. Due to the high resources involved, the chances of pilferage are also high. So it becomes very important for business owners to track the activities of the chilling centre in real time.

Transportation

Once the milk is chilled, it has to be transported to the plant for processing. Considering the perishable nature of the milk, it must be safely transported in tankers. However, transporting the milk poses many problems, such as tracking the route and volume of milk.

Processing

The complexity of the operation and capturing real-time data at the processing units are the major challenges with respect to implementing traceability. The diverse processing steps and handling methods within a plant can pose challenges to capturing accurate and comprehensive data. Further, processing large volumes of real-time data from various sources requires robust infrastructure and efficient data management systems.

Proposed Solutions

In response to these challenges, mooMark has established dairy traceability by integrating various applications tailored to the dairy industry.

mooMark’s Interventions

mooMark has deployed technologies at every point of the dairy supply chain, as shown in Table 1. These applications have gained significant popularity and have been widely accepted by stakeholders in the dairy industry.

Table 1: Technologies deployed by mooMark

# Technology/ Application Stakeholder Purpose
1 mooON Farmers and Extension/ Intervention Agents Herd management
2 ActiTrak Farmer Cattle activity monitoring
3 smartFarms Farmer Digital milk passbooks, financial services, and agricultural input services
4 smartAMCU mobile application Collection Center Automatic milk collection
5 smartCC Chilling Center Quality checks
6 ConTrak Chilling Monitoring milk chilling
7 AMCU Portal Dairy Tracks quality, quantity, and tanker movement.
8 Traceability Portal Processing Plant Mapping the milk procurement and batch processing data
9 Know Your Milk (KYC) Customer Trace the milk journey

 

1.    mooON and ActiTrak

mooON is a herd management system for monitoring & managing cattle & farm details to facilitate data-driven decision-making & driving measures to improve productivity and breeding efficiency. It offers solutions for farmers and field agents in the following ways:

Farmers and Cattle Onboarding: Dairy farmers register on the mooMark network through the mooON app, where they receive a unique digital identity. Using the app, farmers can update essential information such as farm locations, cow breeds, medication usage, and feed details.

Field Agents: To address operational challenges like farmers not owning smartphones or lacking digital literacy, mooMark has deployed field agents. These agents are responsible for keeping records of farmers and cattle updated through the mooON mobile app, ensuring seamless data management (Fig. 2).

 

 

 

Fig. 2: Reproduction (L) and Nutrition (R) dashboards in the mooON app

Scientific Solutions for Ration Balancing and Nutrition Management: mooON provides scientific solutions aimed at enhancing cow milk quality and productivity. These solutions cover various aspects, including feed and supplements, breeding progeny, genetics (A2), genomics, vaccination, deworming status, as well as yield and milk quality.

Cow Health Monitoring with the ActiTrak Device: The ActiTrak device is worn on the animal’s leg, as shown in Fig. 3 to monitor its health. Apart from detecting heat cycles, this device identifies early signs of illness and sends alerts to farmers and veterinarians for timely intervention. Real-time data from the device is transmitted to the mooON app through a gateway installed at the farms, ensuring seamless connectivity via a 4G SIM without the need for a LAN connection.

 

 

Fig. 3: ActiTrak device (L), ActiTrak device tied to the cow’s leg (R)

2.    smartAMCU

mooMark employs IoT-based automatic milk collection units (AMCUs) at its collection centers (Fig. 4 & 5), revolutionizing the milk collection process with minimal human intervention. Its operations include the following:

Weight Measurement: An empty can equipped with a unique identifier is placed on the IoT weighing scale. When farmers arrive at the mooMark collection center to pour milk, they fill these cans with their milk. The AMCUs accurately record the milk collection process, ensuring precise measurement and data entry.

Quality Assessment: A sample of the milk is analyzed using a sophisticated IoT milk analyzer. This analyzer automatically evaluates the quality parameters of the milk, providing real-time insights into its composition and characteristics.


Fig. 4: smartAMCU setup at a collection center

Data Storage and Management: All data collected during the milk collection process is automatically stored in the cloud, ensuring secure and accessible storage. This digital infrastructure of mooMark significantly reduces pilferage activities, enhancing transparency and trust in the milk supply chain.

Price Determination: mooMark defines prices for different combinations of fat and SNF (Solid-Not-Fat) content through its portal (Fig. 6). Each time a farmer delivers milk, they receive fair compensation based on the quality and quantity of milk they supply.

The pouring records are automatically updated in the digital passbook within the smartFarms app, providing farmers with transparent and accurate records of their transactions. This passbook tracks their attendance, purchases, income, and expenses, empowering farmers with comprehensive financial management tools.

 

Fig. 5: smartAMCU data capture flow

 

Fig. 6: Sample rate chart in the smartAMCU portal

3.    smartCC and ConTrak

Interventions at the chilling center involve a series of crucial steps to ensure the quality and integrity of the milk supply, as follows:

Quality Testing: Upon arrival at the chilling center, milk collected from farmers in cans undergoes rigorous quality testing. A sample of milk is extracted from each can where stringent quality tests are conducted, including the MBRT (Methylene Blue Reduction Test). The results of these tests are meticulously recorded in the smartCC (Smart Chilling Center) system by mooMark, ensuring traceability and accountability in the milk supply chain.

Chilling Unit Setup: Once the milk meets the required quality standards, it is transferred to bulk milk chilling units for storage. As shown in Fig. 7, mooMark employs state-of-the-art technology, including the smartCC and ConTrak systems, to optimize chilling center operations.

 

 

Fig. 7: Bulk milk coolers (L); ConTrak hardware (R)

smartCC Monitoring: The smartCC system is specifically designed to monitor and track the quality of milk stored in chilling centers or bulk milk coolers (BMC). It provides real-time insights into various parameters, allowing for prompt action in case of deviations from the desired quality standards.

ConTrak System: Complementing the smartCC, the ConTrak system is equipped with a range of sensors to monitor key aspects such as volume, diesel generator performance, grid connectivity, temperature, milk pump efficiency, agitator operation, and compressor functionality (Fig. 8). These sensors enable continuous monitoring of power consumption, volume levels, and temperature conditions within the chilling center and tanker trucks, ensuring optimal storage conditions and preventing spoilage.

 

 

Fig. 8: ConTrak data capture flow

By implementing these interventions, mooMark ensures that milk undergoes thorough quality checks and is stored under optimal conditions, thereby preserving its freshness and nutritional value throughout the supply chain.


4.    AMCU Portal

Interventions during transportation play a crucial role in maintaining the quality and integrity of milk as it moves from chilling centers to processing plants:

Quality Checks: Before transportation, the chilled milk undergoes thorough quality checks to ensure safety and compliance with quality standards. These checks help identify any deviations or abnormalities that may compromise the quality of the milk during transit.

Vehicle Monitoring: The movement of milk tankers is closely monitored throughout the transportation process. The AMCU portal records the real-time location and movement of vehicles carrying milk. This allows for precise tracking of the transporter, tanker, and route details, providing valuable insights into the logistics of milk transportation.

Data Recording: As depicted in Fig. 9, detailed records are maintained regarding each tanker’s journey, including the quantity of milk loaded, the originating chilling center, and the route taken. This information is recorded and stored systematically, enabling traceability and accountability at every stage of the transportation process.

 

 

Fig. 9: AMCU Portal Dashboard.

 

By implementing these interventions, mooMark ensures that milk is transported safely and efficiently from chilling centers to processing plants, minimizing the risk of contamination or spoilage during transit.

 

5.    Traceability Portal and Know Your Milk (KYM)

Intervention at the dairy involves several critical steps to ensure the quality and traceability of milk:

Quality Inspection: Upon arrival at the processing plant, the quality of the milk is rigorously inspected to verify its freshness and compliance with safety standards. Any deviations or anomalies detected during the inspection are promptly addressed to maintain product quality.

Processing and Packaging: The milk undergoes processing and is packaged for distribution to consumers. Each package is labeled with a traceability QR code, which serves as a unique identifier for the batch.

Traceability Documentation: Detailed reports of each batch’s production process are recorded in the traceability portal. mooMark utilizes its traceability portal to correlate milk procurement data with batch information, ensuring complete transparency and accountability.

Customer Access: Customers can access the milk’s journey through the Know Your Milk (KYM) portal by scanning the QR code on the product packaging (Fig. 10). This portal provides comprehensive information about the milk’s origin, production process, and journey from farm to table, empowering consumers with transparency and trust.

 

Fig. 10: Know Your Milk (KYC) consumer portal

By implementing these interventions, mooMark ensures that each batch of milk meets the highest standards of quality and traceability, fostering consumer confidence and satisfaction.

Conclusions

mooMark operated in just 204 villages in 2020. In the same year, the company onboarded a modest 3,268 farmers and 10,748 cattle. However, mooMark has achieved remarkable growth within four years by expanding its reach to engage with 65,000 farmers. This represents a twenty-fold increase in the number of farmers onboarded since its inception. Presently, the company oversees a network of 104,000 registered cattle, facilitating the production and distribution of 100,000+ liters of milk daily, a substantial leap from the initial 16,000 liters.

Despite encountering numerous operational challenges inherent in digitizing the dairy supply chain, mooMark has successfully implemented its innovative solutions across 800 centers, setting a new standard for transparency, efficiency, and quality assurance in milk production and distribution.

By leveraging advanced technologies such as IoT, sensors, and cloud computing, mooMark has not only addressed the pressing concerns of consumers regarding milk quality and safety but has also empowered dairy farmers with tools for better herd management, fair compensation, and financial transparency. Additionally, mooMark’s initiatives have enhanced the operational efficiency of collection and chilling centers, transportation logistics, and processing units, leading to improved productivity and reduced waste.

mooMark’s journey exemplifies how technology-driven solutions can address longstanding challenges, create value for stakeholders at every level, and pave the way for a more sustainable and resilient dairy industry in the digital age. As mooMark continues to expand its footprint and impact, the future of dairy traceability looks brighter than ever before.

References

Deshmukh, M. A., Chopde, S. S., Kalyankar, S. D., & Kele, V. D. (2015). Computer applications in dairy industry. Oriental Journal of Computer Science and Technology, 8(1), 24-34.

Poopathi, S., & Abidha, S. (2012). The use of clarified butter sediment waste from dairy industries for the production of mosquitocidal bacteria. International Journal of Dairy Technology, 65, 152-157.

Sharma, H., Makwana, M. C., & Kalamkar, S. S. (2021). Constraints faced by the members of organised and unorganized sector of milk producers in Gujarat. Journal of Livestock Science, (12).