Pakistan, Dairies and Good Times

People ask me all the time what I do for work. It is pretty simple but it sounds a little different and a little complicated. Our company, Sweetwater International (www.i-sweetwater.com), works to improve the quality of water throughout the world. Our technology is in 15 countries around the world including Pakistan, Mexico, England, Australia and United Arab Emirates. Our machine improves the water quality which improves the soil quality which improves the crops. So what does that mean? It means that I am a dairy farmer. What? Let me explain: We are using our technology to improve the water...to improve the soil...to improve the crops...which improve the feed for cows to eat...which improves the quality of their milk and increases the quantity of their milk. So, we are in the dairy business. We are building dairies and then managing these dairies. In Pakistan. Our company has worked in Pakistan on various projects for over 10 years now so we have dealt with new governments and new situations but we are comfortable there. We love Pakistan and judging by the cover of Newsweek, the world loves Pakistan:



We have an office/farm/dairy of 40 employees there and we are improving the dairy world there. We have built our first dairy and we are working with the largest bank in Pakistan to build more dairies in country there to help with their milk shortage. We grow our crops, feed and raise our cows and we milk them. A lot.

I always get the looks when I tell people that we do business in Pakistan. I can truly say that I love the country and I love being there among our staff and our farm. It is an exciting opportunity that we have over there.

We feel safe when we travel there. Now, the travel is a beast. It is 32 hours total from leaving SLC to finally getting to Pakistan via New York City and Dubai. The NYC to Dubai flight is 14 hours in the air. I was stuck on the tarmac in Dubai coming home for 2 hours, which does not sound too bad until you realize that you still have 14 hours to go in flight. Thankfully, you have your choice of around 100 movies, 30 tv shows and 200 bands to listen to. Emirates Airline is a fabulous carrier. Our staff picks us up from the airport and takes us everywhere and never leaves us alone. We have security at our office and our farm. We stay in one of the nicest hotels in all of Pakistan. I gained 4 pounds on my last trip there because of all of the good food that I ate at the hotel and with staff and friends.

It does not end with Pakistan though...we are working with groups in China, India and Morocco to start changing the way they do things there. The coming year will be interesting and we will see a lot of changes in our headquarters in SLC and in our offices overseas as we continue to grow.