Milk transport: the Antos 2540 L operated by the Molkerei Berchtesgadener Land dairy

Economics & Logistics

High climber.

Martin Kamhuber collects milk from remote mountain farms in the Antos 2540 L – even in ice and snow.


The round moon hangs serenely in the sky. The darkness slowly ebbs away, unveiling the peaks of the Berchtesgaden Alps. The outlines of alpine ridges emerge from the blue of the night, followed by the first lines of trees, standing out as dark dashes on the mighty, snow-covered slopes. Minus seven degrees Celsius. Half past six in the morning. The breath steams out of the mouths of the ruminating cows in the outside barn. Two cones of light break out of the night-black forest,following the narrow track that winds its way between the piled up snow up to Heidi Sulzauer's mountain farm.

Now the white Antos 2540 L has reached the farm. Driver Martin Kamhuber jumps down from the cab: "Morning!" After a brief chat with the farmer, Kamhuber takes the hose from the truck and inserts the intake nozzle in the stainless steel vat containing the morning's still warm milk. The powerful pump draws around 700 litres of milk a minute into one of the three tanks on the Antos, which is fitted with a collecting tank system from Jansky Optimate and Trema milk type separation system.


Delivering the goods before sunrise. The first farmers arrive at the collection point with their churns at five o'clock in the morning.
Delivering the goods before sunrise. The first farmers arrive at the collection point with their churns at five o'clock in the morning.
The quality of the mountain farm milk makes every effort worthwhile.
The quality of the mountain farm milk makes every effort worthwhile.
Snow chains always at the ready. On days with heavy snowfall, Martin Kamhuber often has to fit the snow chains several times.
Snow chains always at the ready. On days with heavy snowfall, Martin Kamhuber often has to fit the snow chains several times.

"The premium farm milk goes into the two big tanks with a capacity of 6500 and 7000 litres, while the organic milk is collected in the small 3000 tank," explains Kamhuber. The system controls fully automatically which milk is pumped into which tank. This is made possible by an identification chip on the milk tub or milk churn which Kamhuber scans beforehand. The system also takes a small sample during the pumping process, enabling subsequent laboratory analysis of the milk quality for each individual farm.

The milk is soon in the tanks, Kamhuber takes his leave and jumps back into his Antos. He works to a tight schedule. Today, Kamhuber's milk collection trip for the Berchtesgadener Land dairy takes in 105 farms in under six hours, spread out along a spectacular 120-kilometre route against a magnificent alpine backdrop.And with heavy early-morning snowfall into the bargain. Numerous farmers drive their full milk churns to roadside collection points, but Kamhuber drives directly to many small farms.


"Milk transport in the Alps, with high weights, the swashing milk and the tight bends on steep gradients – that's probably the toughest test there is for a truck," says Kamhuber. "I set off at five in the morning. The plan shows the farmers reliably and to the minute when I am at which stop. A lot of them have second jobs and have to get off to work," says the 34 year-old.



A tight schedule, whatever the weather.

The Antos is now undertaking the rough ascent to the Maria Gern chapel.Kamhuber hears on the radio that the German army is planning a manoeuvre today specifically on account of the heavy snowfall. "Uhu," comments the driver, unperturbed. Kamhuber does not need any extra training sessions. "We're on the road every day – whatever the weather. The cows need milking every day, and no ifs or buts. With the right vehicle and the right tyres, that's no problem – and with snow chains, if need be," says Kamhuber.

For easier manoeuvring and added safety when alighting at the edge of the road, the right-hand-drive Antos has its exhaust system fitted on the left-hand side.Why does the dairy go to such lengths to take in small farms on Kamhuber's demanding round, some of which only deliver 20 litres of milk? "We want this unparalleled quality of mountain farm milk. And for the farmers it is not worth driving down into the valley to deliver small quantities. So we drive up and collect the milk from them," explains Kamhuber.


Small live stocks. Mountain farmers often have herds of only 10 to 15 dairy cows.


Vehicles as the dairy's "calling cards".

It is 11.22 a.m. Today's trip is done. At the dairy on the A8 in Piding he hands in a cross-section of the milk samples at the laboratory in a bottle. The milk is then pumped out of the tanks for further processing. Time for a brief chat with Bernhard Pointner. The 40-year-old is the elected executive director of the dairy Milchwerke Berchtesgadener Land Chiemgau eG/Molkerei Berchtesgadener Land, which has been in existence for 90 years.


"State-of-the-art, fuel-efficient vehicles are integral to our sustainability-driven corporate philosophy."

Bernhard Pointner, executive director of the Molkereigenossenschaft Berchtesgadener Land in Piding


Quality has its price. In the case of milk, this includes the demanding routes that Martin Kamhuber has to negotiate with his Antos milk collector in the Berchtesgadener Land alpine region.
Quality has its price. In the case of milk, this includes the demanding routes that Martin Kamhuber has to negotiate with his Antos milk collector in the Berchtesgadener Land alpine region.
Molkerei Berchtesgadener Land sold 200 million dairy products based on mountain farm milk and organic milk in 2016 alone.
Molkerei Berchtesgadener Land sold 200 million dairy products based on mountain farm milk and organic milk in 2016 alone.

The dairy collects milk from 1.800 farmers between the Zugspitze and Watzmann mountains and employs a workforce of more than 400. It markets organic alpine milk and the premium brand "Bergbauernmilch" (mountain farm milk) throughout Germany, with a focus in the south of the country. Sales of milk products exceeded 200 million in 2016. Turnover: around 205 million euros. The dairy has discovered sustainability as a lucrative niche: "Our customers are prepared to pay more for their milk, because they know that they get more for their money than just the milk," says Pointner.

The higher retail prices mean that the milk prices which the dairy is able to pass on to the farmers are among the highest in Europe. This makes it worth their while to maintain their small-scale dairy operations, to look after the mountain pastures, to reduce the use of antibiotics to a bare minimum and to avoid green genetic engineering.

The sustainable concept also calls for the right fleet of vehicles: "Reliability is of prime importance when you're dealing with fresh produce. This is best ensured with our own fleet – and state-of-the-art vehicles from Mercedes-Benz enable us to cut fuel consumption," explains Pointner. "The trucks also provide us with advertising space – as a small dairy, we can't afford expensive TV advertising. The trucks must present an attractive spectacle, and they are washed thoroughly after every trip. Customers associate the vehicle with the product."



Photos: Bernhard Huber
Video: Nikolas Spirk
Editing: Alexander Tempel

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