Mlekomat opens at Slovenian “Target”, Raw Milk Machines Pop Up Everywhere in Neighboring Italy!

By Guest Blogger, Sylvia Onusic, PhD, Nutrition Therapist

Photo Credit: Stanko Klemencic

Can you imagine driving up to your favorite Target store, parking the car, shopping, and on the way out of the store, stopping at a milk-o-matic for a quick quart of your favorite raw milk in a glass or plastic bottle? The success of the Mlekomats in Slovenia thus far have paved the way for just that.   Slovenian consumers can quickly and easily scoop up a quart on their way home, something totally unheard of in the U.S., where the sale of raw milk can be a crime in some states.

Customers are enjoying more and more raw milk as Mlekomats are spreading further and further throughout Slovenia. Just recently a mlekomat opened at the busy hipermarket E. Leclerc, a French chain store, which is located in a large shopping mall in Rudnik, a suburb of Ljubljana, the capital city. Leclerc has the selection of a Walmart, but more upscale- rather like a Target with groceries- thus the name “hipermarket.”  The opening of the Mlekomat was a special event, with live entertainment by a childrens’ buttonbox orchestra, and coverage by the radio station, Zeleni val-Green wave.  Many customers shopping at the mall tried the milk machine.

See the coverage in the Kmetija Potokar farm’s Facebook photo album.

The Mlekomat is located directly outside the main entrance to the store. At this location   customers have easy accessibility and unlimited free parking.  The farms which own and operate the machines in Slovenia, Kmetija Mis and Kmetija Potokar,  are placing more and more machines in areas where customers live and have easy access.

Soon we anticipate drive-up mlekomats from these enterprising raw milk producers!

We hope it is only a matter of time before the machines gain acceptance in the USA, and Canada.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if North America’s Target stores saw raw milk availability as a means of serving their customers?

Raw Milk Machines Abound in Neighboring Italy

Meanwhile, in neighboring Italy, located just west of Slovenia, mlekomats are everywhere. Italians have gone for raw milk in a big way    Over 1300 mlekomat units are now in operation, in these locations.

Damaging Effects of Homogenized Milk Widely Known in Slovenia

In Slovenia, even though raw milk in not available in conventional supermarkets, pasteurized, non-homogenized milk and raw cottage cheese is available in most grocery stores. Homogenized milk has been widely discussed in the Slovenian media so that most people are aware of its artery-damaging effects.  Back in the USA, however, the story is exactly the opposite. Processed milk is revered and no media coverage has explained exactly what goes on inside the human body as a result of dairy industry processing.

However, according to Ron Schmid, NP, in his book Traditional Foods Are Your Best Medicine, some U.S. medical professionals are researching homogenized milk and its effects on health.  Kurt Oster, MD, chief of cardiology at Park City Hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Dr. Kurt Esselbacher, of the Harvard medical school believe that homogenized milk is a major cause of cardiovascular disease in the US. These medical experts have found that people living in countries where there is little homogenized milk used in the diet have heart disease rates less than half that of the US.

Raw Milk Used to Prepare Traditional Slovenian Drinks

Raw milk can be used to make the Slovenian traditional fermented food called “sour milk.” The milk is not spoiled but lacto-fermented.  Sour milk, or clabbered milk, has long been known as a healing food in folk medicine.  Research recently published by the American Journal of Hypertension demonstrated “the beneficial effect of sour milk on blood pressure in borderline hypertensive men who were not taking anti-hypertensive medication.”

Sour milk must be made from raw milk because raw milk contains the right mixture of lactic acid bacteria.  Spoiled pasteurized milk, left too long in the fridge, is different from traditional sour milk. Pasteurizing upsets the bacterial balance, killing the beneficial organisms but not all pathogenic ones. If the milk is left in the fridge too long these bad bacteria will overgrow and the pasteurized milk will spoil. Sour milk is a result of lactic acid fermentation, like yogurt, and is a healthy alternative to conventional products which add corn starch, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and flavorings.

Slovenian Sour Milk Recipe

This recipe for Sour Milk comes from the Mis Family Farm in Slovenia.

Place raw milk in a ceramic container, cover and place in a dark place at room temperature to solidify and ferment.  During summer months this process can take place in one day. Adding a drop of lemon juice, or a small amount of sour cream hastens the process.   [Translation by Sylvia Onusic.]

Sylvia P. Onusic holds a BS in foods and nutrition, and a PhD in Health Education and Wellness, and has completed studies to qualify for RD (Registered Dietitian). She was a home economics teacher for many years.  Her concentration is in holistic nutrition with a focus on the evolution of food and the human body in relation to food allergies and disease.  Sylvia is the mother of two teenage sons, one on whom has celiac disease. She has several food allergies as well.

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