How Is Traditional Bilona Ghee Made?
The ancient process behind India's purest ghee — and why it matters.
Most ghee you see on store shelves today is made by machines, in bulk, from cream. It's fast. It's cheap. But it's not Bilona.
Bilona is a slow, hand-crafted process passed down for thousands of years. And the difference it makes — in taste, nutrition, and purity — is night and day.
What Does "Bilona" Actually Mean?
"Bilona" refers to the traditional wooden hand-churner used to churn curd. This single step is what separates real ghee from industrial ghee — and it changes everything.
The Bilona Process — Step by Step
🐄 Step 1 — Fresh A2 Milk It starts with whole milk from pure A2 Gir cows. Not cream. Not skimmed milk. Full, raw, nutrient-rich milk.
🥛 Step 2 — Culturing Into Curd The milk is gently heated, cooled, and set into thick curd using a natural starter culture. This step adds natural probiotics to the process.
🪵 Step 3 — Hand Churning (The Bilona Step) The curd is churned using a wooden bilona churner — in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions. This separates fresh white butter (makkhan) from buttermilk. No machines. No shortcuts.
🔥 Step 4 — Slow Cooking the Butter The white butter is slow-cooked on a low flame. Water evaporates. Milk solids settle. Pure golden ghee rises to the top.
🫙 Step 5 — Hand Strained & Stored The ghee is carefully strained and stored. No additives. No preservatives. Nothing added.
⚡ It takes 25–30 litres of A2 milk to make just 1 litre of Bilona ghee.
Bilona Ghee vs Regular Commercial Ghee
| What | Bilona Ghee | Regular Commercial Ghee |
|---|---|---|
| Starting ingredient | Whole curd | Cream |
| Process | Hand-churned | Machine processed |
| Nutrients | Fully preserved | Reduced by heat |
| Butyric acid | High | Low |
| Aroma | Rich, nutty | Mild, flat |
| Probiotics | Present | Absent |
| Time taken | Days | Hours |
Why the Process Makes All the Difference
- Churning from curd (not cream) retains fat-soluble vitamins — A, D, E & K2
- Slow heat preserves butyric acid — critical for gut lining repair
- Hand churning keeps CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) intact — linked to reduced inflammation
- No industrial processing means zero additives, zero adulterants
- The result is a deep golden colour — a sign of natural beta-carotene, not added colour
What Ayurveda Says
The ancient text Charaka Samhita describes Bilona ghee as a Rasayana — a food that:
- Strengthens digestion
- Nourishes the brain and nervous system
- Builds immunity
- Promotes long life
5,000 years of Ayurvedic wisdom. Modern science is now catching up.
The Afforise Promise
At Afforise, every jar of our A2 Bilona Ghee is made exactly this way — no exceptions.
- Sourced from pure, ethically raised A2 Gir cows
- Hand-churned using the traditional Bilona method
- Slow-cooked, never rushed
- Free from hormones, additives, and shortcuts
- Deeply golden, richly aromatic, and nutritionally alive
This is ghee the way it was always meant to be.
👉 Try Afforise A2 Bilona Ghee today.