5.5 design studio’s vache à lait reconnects dairy consumers and producers

5.5 design studio’s vache à lait reconnects dairy consumers and producers
all images courtesy of 5.5 design studio

the milk factory is a creative culinary lab formed to bring about productive and innovative changes within the dairy industry. curated by claire fayolle — on invitation from CNIEL (french dairy inter-branch organization) — ten chosen designers were asked to contemplate, ‘what’s next for milk?’

‘vache à lait’ on the farm 

‘vache à lait’ (cow’s milk), by 5.5 design studio, aims to enhance farm-to-table production systems and help consumers rediscover the real taste of milk. modern conveniences, while opportune for the most part, have caused a mass detachment and lack of knowledge surrounding agricultural processes. for example, before being labeled an industrial product; milk does in fact come from a living, breathing animal.

‘milking glass’ detail 

milking a cow directly from the udder, a once-daily chore for many, has been replaced by simply plucking an ice-cold jug from the supermarket’s refrigerator. ‘vache à lait’ hopes to reconnect consumers to the forgotten pleasures of the past, and most likely give them the opportunity to taste raw, unpasteurized milk for the first time in their lives.

udder sponge  

the project is composed of two products; the ‘domestic cow’ which dispenses the dairy, and the ‘milking glass’. in 5.5’s scenario, customers will use squeeze their fill — via synthetic nursing nipples — into the re-usable cup. each morning, and most likely throughout the day, the unit would be topped up. streamlining the buying process by removing intermediaries is a win-win system for patron and farmer alike: people get same-day freshness at a reasonable price from a source they know personally, and sellers reap the benefits of vending to a singular, close-by source that pays them immediately.

the project redefines consumers’ interactions with dairy producers 

such a system contributes not only to the development of sustainable, educated consumption, but also to the support and promotion of eco-beneficial practices. agribusiness has had massive influenced over the forming of the modern palate, its redefined nature and peoples’ relationship to it, and consequently affected the ability of consumers to appreciate natural, unaltered tastes. can such organic items ever be enjoyed again? only time will tell. ‘vache à  lait’ is currently on exhibit at milk lab – designers reinvent milk until june 30th. 

raw, unpasteurized milk directly from the source 

each morning, a local dairy farmer would fill the glass dispenser 

‘milking glass’ computer rendering 

‘domestic cow’ dispenser rendering 

concept sketch 

logos of ‘milking glass’ (left), and ‘domestic cow’ 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.