Strawberry Milk

As an entrepreneur, an Economics graduate and a food enthusiast at the same time, I don’t know but I have this skill of forecasting the next food trend that will take place in my area. Before the surge of milk tea in Mindoro, I already have a hunch that milk tea will dominate the province’s market. Perhaps, this became our advantage because before everyone else, we already built our own milk tea shop, making Breen Milk Tea one of the pioneering milk tea shops in Mindoro. Last year, I told my friends that coffee shops and bottled coffees will soon emerge. I was right. Iced javas and cold brews are now here. My next prediction was the trend of Strawberry Milk.

For anyone who is still not familiar what it is, strawberry milk is a homestyle drink made with fresh chunks of strawberries and fresh milk, thus giving it a pure, unadulterated flavor where the tartness of the berries are tempered just a tad by the creaminess of the dairy. It’s a popular drink in Korea served during the summertime in many cafes that’s why many Kdrama and Kpop fans are also addicted to it.

Through its taste and aesthetic, strawberry milk was able to build up a market in Manila. Famous Manila-based brands are Uyu, Good Karma Bakery, Pound Cafe and FRNK Milk Bar. Of course, I had to familiarize myself with the taste so I visited FRNK Milk Bar in Bonifacio High Street and had their Beri and Maccha Berri. Of course, it isn’t sweet. The mixture of tangy berries and milk made it taste like a yogurt, which is actually yummy.

The process of making this milk-based drink is actually easy. Ingredients are commonly found in kitchen cupboard so there’s no hassle. After all, I’m aiming for a strawberry milk that has no artificial flavors and no preservatives. We like to make this ever since the lockdown started. I actually shared its recipe in my blog last December, without knowing that Ane Ventures Strawberry will come.

The idea of selling started when I let my boyfriend, my mom and my friends taste it. They love it! They even demanded to have a daily supply of strawberry milk in our fridge. They said that it is worth-selling and that I should start the trend in Pinamalayan. They are very supportive that they even designed a logo and did photoshoots for my product.

I was hesitant at first, especially when I did the product costing. Strawberries here are so expensive! I also opted for an attractive glass bottle for packaging since the product itself is simple. But the bottle alone is pricey already. So if I give this a go, I should sell it at a higher price, too. However, the purchasing power in my province is quite low and we’re currently in time of crisis. 

Therefore, just to grant my friends’ requests, I decided to sell strawberry milk but for one try only. In fact, during my first order, I only purchased a box of 24 bottles. I had zero intention of selling it seriously. But everything is just unexpected. All of a sudden, I found myself introducing my first product under the Ane Venture’s brand.

I was stunned to hear nice feedbacks and reactions from customers. I’m happy that people of different ages loved it. And yep! The initial of plan of only having one batch of order didn’t happen. Due to the surprising demand, I am already on my 14th batch.

I will be making more flavors apart from strawberry, but that’s gonna be next summer.

October 2021 Update: I made a new flavor and I love it! I’ve seen a lot of this flavor in Korean Home Cafes. I tried the same flavor in FRNK Milk Bar and I’m addicted to the combo. Strawberry Matcha, everyone!