Introduction:While most coffee enthusiasts are still debating the flavor differences between oat milk and ice-bucked, a café in Perm, Russia, has launched a shocking and unconventional new creation — breast milk cappuccino. Priced at a staggering 650 rubles, this specialty coffee costs four times more than a regular milk-based coffee, sparking widespread discussion. This article will delve into the background of this unique beverage’s creation, market reactions, and relevant regulatory restrictions, offering insight into the details and controversies behind this innovation.

In modern coffee culture, milk options have long expanded beyond traditional cow’s milk, with oat milk, soy milk, and ice-bucked all becoming common choices among baristas. However, a small café in Perm, a city in Russia’s Ural region, has recently become the talk of the town for a bold experiment — they introduced a “breast milk cappuccino” where breast milk replaces regular milk, selling for as much as 650 rubles per cup, approximately 800 New Taiwan Dollars, which is over four times the price of a regular cappuccino in the area.

According to the café’s founder, Maxim Kobyrev, this special drink has successfully sold around 50 cups since its launch. He further explained that the breast milk used in each cup comes from willing donors, with about nine lactating mothers currently participating in the supply chain, providing a total daily output of up to five liters — more than enough to meet the café’s daily needs.

Kobyrev noted that each mother who donates breast milk can receive compensation of about 1,000 rubles (approximately 130 New Taiwan Dollars) per bag, but only on the condition that they ensure their own baby has sufficient milk first. This model, while sparking considerable debate locally, has also opened up a new source of income for some mothers with ample supply.

In terms of pricing, the breast milk cappuccino is sold for 650 rubles, compared to around 150 rubles for a regular cappuccino made with standard milk — a full fourfold increase. Despite the high price, Kobyrev emphasized that they maintain strict oversight over the sourcing of breast milk, requiring all donors to provide complete medical documentation to ensure the safety and health of the milk.

Currently, this breast milk coffee remains a niche market product and has not yet entered the mainstream. However, Kobyrev already has clear expansion plans, aiming to increase daily sales to 1,000 cups by the end of this year and to recruit more breastfeeding mothers willing to donate milk, thereby expanding the breast milk inventory to meet future higher demand.

It is worth noting that although breast milk coffee has begun small-scale trials in some regions of Russia, in many places including Taiwan, such products face clear legal restrictions. According to the “Reply from the Department of Legal Supervision of the Ministry of Health Regarding the Prohibition of Human Breast Milk as a Commercial Commodity,” issued on May 19, 2000, human breast milk is not considered a general food resource and is legally prohibited from being produced or sold as a commodity.

This regulation means that even though breast milk coffee has emerged as a trend in certain areas, in Taiwan or other regions where the commercialization of breast milk is prohibited, similar business models would be considered illegal, raising significant legal and ethical concerns. Therefore, while consumers may be intrigued by these novel drinks, they should also remain aware of and understand the related regulations and ethical issues.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.