Hello, I’m Tash - founder of Mylka.

I’m based in Gore with my beautiful family. Like many ideas born out of real life, Mylka began at home, during the early months of motherhood.

After welcoming our daughter, I experienced an oversupply of breastmilk. Before long, our freezer was completely full of frozen milk, and the six-month “best used by” window was approaching. While I was grateful to have the milk, I found using it increasingly inconvenient - managing storage, thawing, spills, and the general bulk of frozen milk quickly became stressful rather than supportive.

Things came to a head when we travelled to Australia. Keeping milk cold during transit, dealing with leaks in the cooler, and trying to manage frozen storage on the move highlighted just how impractical frozen milk can be, especially for families who travel or live rurally.

I began researching what alternatives existed for preserving breastmilk and was surprised by how limited the options were for mums in New Zealand. Looking internationally, I discovered freeze-drying - a gentle, non-heat method that removes moisture while preserving the integrity of breastmilk.

The more I learned, the more it made sense.

I imported my own freeze-drying equipment and completed my first batch of milk. Seeing the result - a lightweight, stable powder that was easy to store and simple to use - was genuinely transformative. It was the solution I didn’t know I needed.

Mylka was created from that moment. What began as a personal solution quickly became a purpose-driven service: to offer families a more flexible, practical way to store and use their breastmilk, without compromising what matters most.

Today, Mylka exists to support mums with a science-led, thoughtfully designed breastmilk processing service - born from lived experience, careful research, and a deep respect for how precious breastmilk truly is.

Mylka is very much a family effort. My husband Ryan has supported this journey from the very beginning - from encouraging the idea, to helping with logistics, problem-solving, and the practical realities of building something from the ground up. Balancing family life, a growing business, and parenthood isn’t always easy, and having strong support at home has made all the difference.

At the heart of Mylka is our family - and our desire to create something genuinely helpful for other families navigating the early months of parenthood.