One hump or two? Dubai’s state-of-the-art camel dairy to help produce gourmet Austrian chocolate

The mere mention of Austrian chocolate usually conjures up images of velvet alpine hills, quaint cottages and a sprinkling of bell-toting cows.

But all that is about to change when one of Europe’s leading confectioners begins production of the world’s first camel milk chocolate bars.

The news comes just 12 months after Camelicious, Dubai’s state-of-the-art camel dairy farm, began official production in the summer of 2006.

The milk will be freeze-dried and supplied to Manner, the 120-year-old Austrian-based confectioners, who famously produce wafers and Mozart chocolates.

The camel milk chocolate will be available in the United Arab Emirates by 2008, says, David Wernery, legal advisor to Camelicious and the dairy’s spokesman, who admits he and his team have enjoyed eating their way through all the latest chocolate samples.

“The chocolate certainly has its own, distinct taste, and we’re pretty sure it will be a popular product when it’s introduced to the market,” he says, explaining that camel milk is also uniquely formulated and boasts many health benefits.

“It has three times the amount of vitamin C compared to cow milk and is naturally much lower in fat. In fact, full-fat camel milk is the equivalent to skimmed cow milk. It also contains special enzymes that make it far more easily digested and other components that are known to strengthen the immune system.”

Yet despite the camel being one of Arabia’s most well loved symbols, bovine dairy farms are still by far the most popular milk suppliers in the Arab world.

“Camels don’t produce as much milk as cows,” says Wernery. “The average dairy cow will provide between 30 to 40 liters of milk per day, whereas a camel will produce half that amount. You have to take into account the fact that the calf also takes at least 50 percent of its mother’s milk as well.”

But, he points out, there are distinct advantages to running a camel dairy farm as opposed to the bovine variety, when you live in the middle of the desert.

“The overheads required for cows are huge,” Wernery explains. “In summer, the herds have to be sprayed with water to keep their temperature down, and they must be kept in air-conditioned sheds, which is extremely expensive. In the hottest season, cow milk tends to be watery because the animals are affected by the climate. But with camels, you don’t have these problems. They produce less milk, but they also drink far less water. They don’t need any air conditioning and their milk stays consistently good all year round.”

So, on balance, the future for camel industries looks bright except for a few niggling paperwork problems that in the meantime will hinder international distribution.

“Although camel milk chocolate will be available in Dubai soon, the final recipe and the paperwork is yet to be perfected. Once in production, the chocolate will be exported from Austria to Dubai for sale in United Arab Emirates. When licensing issues are dealt with, there will be bigger plans for international sale,” confirms Wernery.

He adds, “We’re currently in the process of trying to obtain a special EU permit for the export of camel products from the United Arab Emirates. Because the U.A.E. is not an EU member State, it’s a complicated process.”

But chocolate empires aside, there are already more than enough projects at home to keep Camelicious busy in the coming months. The cutting-edge operation, which is owned by Dubai’s Ruler H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the U.A.E.’s vice president and prime minister, currently has a 450-strong herd of hard-working milkers.

“We have 450 females producing milk and double that number in calves. We also have a few bulls and we are in the process of encouraging natural breeding to increase the numbers,” says Wernery.

“Ideally, the farm should be operating with 1,000 milking camels to make it run efficiently, which is what we’re aiming for in the coming months. H.H. Sheikh Mohammed is considering increasing the herd to 2,000, although that will require a lot of investment, and won’t happen for another two to three years,” he continues.

And the demand for camel milk products in the local market is healthy, with Camelicious producing 1,000 litres per day for retail mainly in Dubai, 80 to 100 percent of which is sold.

The dairy also supplies hotel chains with camel milk – the most notable of which is the Jumierah Group which includes in its portfolio, the famous Burj Al Arab, Emirates Towers, Lowndes of London and the Essex House in New York.

“We’re always open to new ideas,” says Wernery, who explains that Camelicious is currently producing three varieties of milk – plain and two flavored versions – date and saffron.

“Our next product line will include Laban [a traditional Arabian yogurt drink] and strawberry flavored milk. We’re experimenting with cheeses, but because camel milk is so naturally low in fat, we haven’t been able to successfully produce the hard cheese yet.”

However, all is not lost, as soft cheeses have been achieved. “There is even one lady in Mauritania who has succeeded in making her own camel version of Camembert – but of course, she’s called it Camelbert,” he laughs.