How It Works. The Breastmilk Company
The Process

From Your Freezer to a 3-Year Shelf Life

A complete, transparent walkthrough of how we collect, process, track, and return your breastmilk, safely and confidently.

Step by Step

The Complete Journey

Seven clearly-defined stages from the moment you place your order to the day your powder sachets arrive at your door.

01

Choose Your Package & Place Order

Browse our available packages and select the one that best matches your estimated milk volume Packages page. Once your order is placed, our team will contact you within 24 hours to confirm your package selection, discuss your estimated milk quantity, and arrange a suitable pickup window based on your schedule.

⏱️ Response within 24 hours
02

Prepare Your Milk for Collection

Simply keep your breastmilk fully frozen until our team arrives, no special preparation is required before pickup. Before collection, do a quick visual check to ensure your milk bags are properly sealed and free from tears, leaks, or external residue. Thawed milk should not be sent for freeze drying, as the quality may already be compromised. Once your milk is packed and ready, our team will handle the rest using insulated boxes during collection and transport.

🧊 Keep frozen until pickup
03

Home Pickup in Insulated Boxes

Our collection team will arrive within the agreed pickup window to collect your frozen breastmilk. Your milk is immediately transferred into insulated boxes to help maintain frozen temperatures throughout transport to our facility.

📍 Home service. No travel needed
04

Dedicated Processing & Tracking

Once your milk arrives at our facility, it is logged under your order and checked for quantity and condition before being safely stored in our deep freezers until its scheduled processing run. Your milk is processed in a dedicated freeze drying run and never shares the chamber with another mother's milk.

🔒 Your milk stays separated throughout the process
05

Pharmaceutical-Grade Freeze Drying

Your milk is placed into our pharmaceutical-grade freeze drying chamber, the process takes place in two stages: Phase 1. Freezing — The chamber temperature is lowered to approximately −50°C, causing the water in your milk to freeze into ice crystals. A vacuum process is then used to remove the frozen water directly as vapour, without passing through a liquid stage or using heat. Phase 2. Drying — The temperature is gently raised to remove any remaining moisture, leaving a fine, stable powder with less than 3% moisture content. This helps prevent bacterial growth and allows the powder to be stored at room temperature for up to 3 years.

❄️ No heat used during processing
06

Quality Check & Custom Sachet Filling

Before packaging, our team checks that your freeze dried breastmilk powder meets our quality standards for moisture and texture. The powder is then portioned and sealed into custom-sized sachets based on your selected feed size and final milk yield. Each sachet is individually labeled with the exact amount of water needed for reconstitution.

📋 QC verified before packaging
07

Delivery Back to Your Home

Your completed order is carefully packed and delivered back to you within approximately 30 - 60 working days from the date of pickup. Your delivery includes all custom-sized sealed powder sachets based on your selected portion size. Each sachet is individually labeled with the exact water amount needed for reconstitution and packed securely inside a protective delivery box to help prevent damage during transit.

🚗 Estimated turnaround: 30–60 working days
Safety & Standards

Pharmaceutical-Grade Standards.

Every step of our process is designed to prioritise safety and consistency because your milk deserves nothing less.

Dedicated Processing Facility

We operate a dedicated breastmilk processing facility. The entire space is designed specifically for this service, with pharmaceutical-grade cleanliness standards.

Trained Processing Staff

All staff handling your milk are trained in hygiene handling procedures and frozen milk handling. Your milk is handled only by trained personnel throughout every stage of collection, processing, and packaging.

Cold Chain Maintained

Your milk remains frozen from collection through transport and processing preparation. Insulated boxes and temperature-controlled handling procedures are used throughout the process to help maintain frozen conditions.

Full Documentation

Your milk is logged under your order upon arrival and tracked throughout every stage of processing and packaging. This allows us to maintain accurate handling and portioning for your final sachets.

Dedicated Batch Processing

Your milk is processed in a dedicated freeze drying run and does not share the chamber with another mother's milk. Equipment and handling surfaces are cleaned and sanitised between batches as part of our standard processing procedures.

Pharmaceutical-Grade Equipment

We use pharmaceutical-grade freeze drying equipment designed for precise temperature and pressure control throughout the process. This allows breastmilk to be freeze dried without the use of heat.

The Science

Why Freeze Drying Preserves More

Compared to other heat-based preservation methods, freeze drying is considered a gentler approach for helping preserve the nutritional and biological components naturally found in breastmilk.

vs. Freezing

Standard freezing helps preserve breastmilk but is generally recommended for use within 6 months for best quality. Freeze drying extends storage up to 3 years at room temperature, reducing dependency on freezer space and lowering concerns around power outages during storage. For mothers dealing with high lipase, freeze drying may also help reduce the taste and smell changes that can happen over time with frozen milk.

3yr Up to 3 years shelf life at room temperature

vs. Pasteurisation

Holder pasteurisation heats milk to 62.5°C for 30 minutes. Studies have shown this can reduce certain naturally occurring breastmilk components, including antibodies such as secretory IgA and probiotic activity. Freeze drying uses no heat during processing and research on lyophilisation has shown high retention of important breastmilk components, including secretory IgA, lactoferrin, and probiotic viability.

>95% No heat used during processing

Nutrient Retention

Research on lyophilisation has shown high retention of important breastmilk components, including secretory IgA, lactoferrin, lysozyme, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), and probiotic viability. These are key biological components naturally found in breastmilk.

Preserves key biological components in breastmilk
Reconstitution Guide

How to Prepare Your Powder

Simple, precise instructions. Your sachet label already shows the exact water amount to add.

1

Prepare Warm Water

Prepare the amount of warm water printed on your sachet label, ideally at approximately 40 - 45°C. Each sachet is labeled with the exact water amount needed for your milk.

2

Add Powder & Dissolve

Open the sachet and pour the powder into the warm water. Gently swirl until fully dissolved. Avoid using boiling water or shaking vigorously.

3

Feed Immediately

Check the temperature before feeding. Once reconstituted, the milk should be consumed within 2 hours at room temperature. Do not refreeze after preparation.

💡 Pro tip: The water amount on each sachet is calculated specifically for your milk. Follow your sachet label for the most accurate reconstitution.
Ready To Get Started

Preserve Your Milk

No complicated sign-ups or lengthy process. Simply choose your preferred package and our team will guide you through the next steps when you're ready.