Aby Baby and his donkey farm in Kerala

Aby Baby’s one-of-its-kind donkey farm at Ernakulam is the source of donkey milk used in a range of natural skincare products manufactured by him. Aby has also received Indian Agricultural Research Institute’s Innovative Farmer Award, 2019 for his unique farm.

Ernakulam (Kerala): The recipient of Indian Agricultural Research Institute’s Innovative Farmer Award, 2019, Aby Baby has been running a donkey farm 'Dolphin IBA' for the past three years, with 21 donkeys in Ernakulam district.

He has been producing cosmetic products from Donkey milk and has been successful with his business.

Aby spent 10 years researching the benefits of donkey milk and found that it has been considered an elixir of life for centuries.

Legend has it that Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen, Pauline Bonaparte, French military leader Napoléon Bonaparte’s sister, and Poppaea Sabina, the second wife of Roman Emperor Nero used donkey milk to preserve their skin and beauty.

Aby wanted to do something different in his life. He quit his well-paid job as a marketing manager at an IT firm in Bengaluru in 2005 and returned to his home in Ramamangalam in Ernakulam district, to start a donkey farm.

In 2016, Aby established a small production unit near his house, where he started manufacturing a range of cosmetic products - firmness creams, facial creams, shampoo, body wash, to name a few.

According to Aby, donkey milk is very effective because it comes closest to mother's milk, which is rich in lactose and low in fat.