Meet the Producer

Producers name:

Lauren Brisbane

Farm name:

QCamel

Farm location:

Caloundra Downs

Years of operation:

Seven

QCamel is one of two operating camel milk farms in Queensland and one of just a handful within Australia. It is also the only certified organic camel farm in the world – something owner and director Lauren Brisbane is incredibly proud of.

Lauren has an unwavering passion for camels and is committed to providing an ethical way of farming in which she and her team treat the camels with love and respect. And Lauren said that they reciprocate that love two-fold. W

hile I haven’t yet had the chance to visit Lauren and her camels at their farm in Caloundra Downs, I did have the pleasure of chatting all things camel with Lauren late last week. We covered everything from the matriarchy of camel herds, how beneficial camels are to land management, the benefits of camel products and, of course, just how gentle these giants can be.

Where it all began …

It was years ago while working within the cattle industry that Lauren suggested introducing camels to co-graze with the cattle that really ignited the spark for camel milk production. She explained that when co-grazing with cattle the camels helped to keep cattle calmer and could actually help increase the cattle’s weight between 5-10% (this is due to microorganisms found in camels’ guts that help in the breakdown of plant material and can be transferred to cattle through water troughs). From here, she began her research and clearly recalls suggesting to her husband about purchasing a small herd to help in her research efforts. QCamel is now home to 100 camels, with another 15-20 due to be born by the end of the year.

In the early days, the Brisbane family set up the Australian Camel Industry Association, which Lauren chaired for seven years.

A little about QCamel camels?

Lauren and her team live and breathe ethical and sustained farming, and say they treat their camels with love and respect – as they are part of their big family.

“Camels are loving creatures and incredibly intelligent and it’s important for people to see that you can still have animal production without impacting their lives and their health,” Lauren said. “We have a no-slaughter policy and, in fact, camels are a matriarchal group so older females play an important role for babies, who look to them for advice.”

Lauren said that they do not separate mother and babies, and prioritised mothers feeding their babies over collecting milk.

Lauren and the camels

What products do you sell?

QCamel began the production of camel milk in 2014, when they first started farming camels, and over the years have introduced a number of other products, such as powdered camel’s milk, which is especially popular in Asian markets.

Lauren said the camel milk was particularly beneficial for gut health as no grain was fed to the camels. It also has a range of benefits for those with allergies, insulin dependency and for people with autism, as it contains no dairy allergens.

“Early this year we launched our skin care line, which has taken five years to develop. We walked through the whole process to ensure it is purely natural and is particularly effective for problem skin,” Lauren said.

Over the years QCamel also introduced tourism as part of our business as a way visitors can get up close and personal with the animals.

Where can you buy QCamel products

Locally you can buy QCamel’s milk at Everything Good in Glass House Mountains or at Kunara Organic Marketplace. You can also visit their website to see a range of products and book a farm visit.

“For those booking a tour, they can also try our products while at the farm. We also source a range of local produce for those enjoying our grazing platters at our special events,” Lauren said.