Milky Mist Dairy Food shares surge 10% on strong Q1 growth

The shares of Milky Mist Dairy Food experienced a 10% increase following strong growth in the first quarter of 2026, according to ET Intelligence Group. The rise in stock price was fueled by robust performance across the company's product line. In the initial quarter following its listing in August, the company's EBITDA margin improved due to better operational efficiency, increased sales volume, an enhanced product mix, and improved pricing.

Milky Mist anticipates that this growth trend will continue through its existing facilities, protein-rich products, and increased presence in markets beyond South India. Both yogurt and ice cream led the growth, with year-over-year revenue growth of 153% and 60%, respectively, benefiting from an extended summer season. Cheese revenue rose by 38%, while the company's primary category, paneer, expanded by 34%.

The Perundurai facility still has considerable unused capacity and could potentially generate revenue between 3 to 3.5 times the levels of the financial year 2026, provided current product prices remain stable. This situation provides the company with ample room for growth while also enhancing its operating leverage.

Although paneer remains the primary focus of the business, Milky Mist is increasingly concentrating on protein-enriched products like high-protein paneer, high-protein cheese, Greek yogurt, and Skyr. The company also plans to construct a whey protein concentrate plant in the next 15-18 months, which will enable it to derive more value from the whey produced in its cheese and paneer operations. Moreover, Milky Mist commenced the construction of a 120-tonne-per-day natural cheddar cheese plant during the quarter.

Expanding geographically also presents a significant growth opportunity for the company. While South India accounts for nearly 69% of its revenue, other markets are growing at a faster pace and are projected to make up around 40% of the business over time. The company aims to achieve this through strengthening its distribution network, enhancing cold-chain infrastructure, and scaling up milk procurement operations in states like Karnataka and Maharashtra.

However, milk inflation poses a key near-term risk for the company. Nonetheless, Milky Mist is confident in its diversified portfolio of value-added dairy products, which provide sufficient pricing power to manage input-cost pressures. The company expects margins to benefit from a richer product mix, improved capacity utilization, and ongoing operational efficiencies.