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We were invited to the offices of award-winning dairy company Brancourts, and were greeted by fourth generation family member Julie Brancourt.

After a tour of the factory and production, (and a taste test, of course!) Julie showed us through Brancourts’ impressive collection of awards and trophies, and generously shared her family’s history and the brand’s century of achievements; wishing that her great-grandparents were there to celebrate the success of the dairy brand the Brancourt family started over 125 years ago.

“We’re very proud of the numerous gold medals and trophies bestowed upon us at national dairy product competitions, particularly over the last decade,” beams Julie.

Brancourts Sweetened Condensed Milk recently won Gold at the 2022 Australian Dairy Industry Association Awards, and a Silver at the 2022 Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Show; which adds to their already impressive haul of industry medals. Brancourts Sweetened Condensed Milk (along with their skim milk version of the product) have won numerous industry competition medals in the last five years.

The history of The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW’s Cheese and Dairy Produce competitions date back to the 1870s, and the annual Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Produce Show is now one of the most prestigious and represented competitions in the industry.

We asked Julie why she believes Brancourts Sweetened Condensed Milk has picked up so many prestigious awards in recent years. She replied, “The secret to making delicious sweetened condensed milk is freshness and simplicity; which is why we only use the purest ingredients, along with my great-grandparents’ traditional, small-batch methods.” This 100% Australian family owned and operated dairy has been batch-crafting using the purest ingredients for four generations, and “Uses only the freshest full-cream milk from cows that graze on rich Australian pastures, as well as natural cane sugar from Australia’s northern tropical regions. I believe it’s these extra special qualities that make Brancourts Sweetened Condensed Milk taste better, and continue to put us up on the podium.”

Young French farmers, Alice and Julien Brancourt, arrived in Sydney from France in 1895, and purchased a 40 acre farm in North Bankstown (Sydney) where they started crafting cheese using the authentic French recipes they brought with them.

“They certainly were determined!” begins Julie.

“They slowly increased their range of products to other dairy goods such as sour cream and cottage cheese and taught so many people, including their own children, about the methods of traditional French cheesemaking and dairy farming. Thankfully they passed down many of the traditional processes that they were taught in France, which are still used here at Brancourts today.”

But it’s not just Australian dairy industry judges who are loving Brancourts Sweetened Condensed Milk; Australian restauranteurs, chefs and bakers are choosing Brancourts for its silky smooth consistency and sweet milky flavours, as well as the range of formats the product is available in (2 x 13kg bag in box and a 1300kg Pallecon). These formats are ideal for a wide range of food operations such as bakeries, patisseries, ice-cream makers, beverage makers, confectionery makers and many other food products. Current business owner Michael Conradt explains “Our Sweetened Condensed Milk is certified Halal and Kosher, which is now really important for many baking businesses, particularly our retail customers in the Sydney and Melbourne areas.”

We were impressed to discover that Brancourts Sweetened Condensed Milk can be specifically formulated for different food service operations, which is a big plus for niches within the baking industry. Brancourts also has extensive Quality Management Systems in place across the business to ensure safe and high-quality products, with accreditation to national and international standards, including HACCP, SQF, WQA & DAWR. “At Brancourts, we pride ourselves on our premium quality dairy products and the strong partnerships we’ve built with our food service customers throughout Australia and in our overseas markets. We’ve grown our condensed milk business to a level where we can now service virtually any professional food operation in Australia.” says Michael, who employs over 30 people.

Australia is placed third globally when it comes to milk consumption per capita (including dairy products such as butter, cheeses, labneh, haloumi, gelato, yoghurt, buttermilk, and custard)1. With the demand for dairy in Australian restaurants, kitchens and households remaining strong, Brancourts is determined to continue the high standards set by four generations of Brancourts, to satisfy bakeries, patisseries, professional kitchens and restaurants and their customers across the country.

“The French are renowned for their culinary excellence, so it’s quite fitting that bakers, chefs and cooks in Australia are choosing to use our highly-awarded products that my French family created. I’m immensely proud of that,” says Julie.

The dairy industry judges (and bakers) of Australia have spoken, and Brancourts continues to achieve sweet success, thanks to Brancourt Dairy’s continued efforts to retain Julie’s great-grandparents’ traditions, and Australia’s love of the sweet milky flavours and silky smooth texture of their award-winning Sweetened Condensed Milk.