The cooperative
Created on 15 November 1990, the TADU Dairy Cooperative Society (TDCS) functions as a multi-purpose cooperative that provides its members with access to new cattle breeds, sustainable dairy and beef production best practices, modern milk and meat processing technologies, and proven product marketing strategies.
The cooperative focused on crossbreeding local and exotic cattle breeds through artificial insemination and improving milk quality. Crossbred cows were found to be more productive and adapted to the environment.
The factory
The factory has five operating units: milk pasteurization, cheese processing, yogurt processing and packaging, butter processing and packaging, and cream separation.
The factory is located on TADU Ranch in Bui Division, Northwest Region of Cameroon.
The milk pasteurization unit is capable of handling up to 1,000 liters of milk per day.
The yogurt processing and packaging unit is capable of producing more than 5,000 cups of yogurt per day.
Organic products
Impact of the Anglophone crisis
The crisis in the Northwest region of Cameroon has wreaked havoc on the operations of the TDCS cooperative and dairy factory. Factory production was halted in 2017 amid rising concerns for the safety and security of factory workers and TDCS administrators. Herds of TDCS crossbred cattle have been pillaged.
The crisis has been even more devastating to the academic community. Hundreds of cattle industry aspirants from colleges and universities across the nation would journey to TADU annually for internships because the TADU Model covers the entire milk value chain. These internship programs have been put on hold indefinitely due to security concerns.
Furthermore, all factory, herd management, and ranch grounds management staff have been laid off.
- 10 salaried employees lost regular monthly income
- $1M of crossbred cattle inventory lost or stolen
- $2M lost in equipment and infrastructure (developed pasture, herd management, and more) depreciation
Resilience of the TADU Model
In spite of the setbacks resulting from the Anglophone crisis, the TADU Model is finding resurgence in the Adamawa Region of Cameroon. Work is ongoing to replicate the model in Nigeria and catalyze organic growth of the dairy industry there. Thanks to the foresight and tenacity of Mr. Lawrence Shang, the founder of TDCS and the TADU Model, partnerships have endured and are thriving in the northern region of Cameroon and in Nigeria. The TADU Model is an idea that can be applied to any dairy ecosystem with careful planning and willing partners.
