Churning a Dream into Reality - Interview with CEO of Laos Buffalo Dairy, Susie Martin

No matter where you are in the world, trying to set up a business is never going to be easy.

There will always be moments of uncertainty, bureaucracy, difficult decisions to be made, and many different challenges to overcome.

Trying to set up a business in the countryside of Laos, some 25kms outside of Luang Prabang, where you don't speak the language and the locals have no understanding of what your product is, how it is made, nor why you are asking them to trust you with their most valuable possession, and it is a whole different ball game.

None of that was enough to put off the four corporate expats moving away from one of Asia's most modern and glamorous cities, to a land-locked country many people know nothing about.

So why do it, and how does a dream like this become reality? Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com spoke with Susie Martin, CEO of Laos Buffalo Dairy, to ask her just that.

In this interview, conducted over Skype on 9 July, you will discover where the idea of a Buffalo Dairy came from, and how they managed to turn that idea into a reality that is now looking at exporting over 2 tonnes per month to Japan.

The company, into which Susie says they have already invested over US$1 million, is also in talks with governments in the region to establish similar sustainable companies and farms in those countries.

Susie shares the challenges they faced, how many buffalo they started with and how many they have today.

We talk about sustainability and how the Laos Buffalo Dairy is not just a business that makes money, but one that also genuinely improves the lives of the people and buffalos in the local communities.

Susie tells us about the products they sell, how they attract tourists to visit and what they are doing to increase the number of repeat guests, how COVID19 has impacted the Laos Buffalo Dairy, and much, much more in the video and podcast below.

Churning a Dream into Reality - Interview with CEO of Laos Buffalo Dairy, Susie Martin

PODCAST

Editor's note: My apologies that the audio and visual quality in this video interview are not up to the same HD quality that they normally would be. This is the third in a series of video interviews conducted over Skype. Hopefully it won't be too long until we are once again conducting exclusive video interviews in person, but for now we have to make do with what we have. Thank you.

See also: Luxury Yacht Sales and Charters in Thailand - Interview with Simpson Marine, Emerging Travel Trends in Asia Pacific - Interview with Frank Trampert and Todd Arthur of Sabre, Belmond Hotels in Asia Pacific - Interview with Iain Langridge, MD, How's Business in Siem Reap? Interview with GM of Courtyard by Marriott, Ms. Ashley Lai, How's Business in Myanmar? Interview with Torsten Edens, SVP of Memories Group, Churning a Dream into Reality - Interview with CEO of Laos Buffalo Dairy, Susie Martin and Airports, Air Travel and COVID19 - Exclusive Interview with SITA's President of Asia Pacific, Sumesh Patel.

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