It was the obvious next step for Yasmin Brisbane and her mother Lauren who have been milking camels for several years on their farm on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

After creating milk and yogurt products, they decided the next step was camel chocolate so teamed up with three businesses to create a unique dairy-free treat.

"We knew some fabulous chocolatiers here on the Sunshine coast and we thought what a collaboration that could be," Yasmin Brisbane said.

Camel chocolate made in Maroochydore has a dairy-free outer shell with a praline filling made from camel milk powder. ( ABC Sunshine Coast: Jacqui Street )

But making chocolate with milk in a climate like south-east Queensland proved tricky, as praline made from milk melts easily in the heat.

The camel milk needed to be in a powdered form.

Enter Michael Buckley and his futuristic freeze-drying plant.

Making camel milk powder

Michael Buckley freeze dries produce in the Sunshine Coast region, including bananas and camel milk. ( ABC Sunshine Coast: Jacqui Street )

Mr Buckley agreed to try freeze-drying the camel milk, after connecting with the camel farmers through the Sunshine Coast Food and Agribusiness Network.

"It's a beautiful product," he said.

After arriving at the plant in buckets, the camel milk is poured onto large trays and quickly chilled to -30 degrees Celsius.

"With the process of freeze-drying, we have to quickly get the raw material down to a deeply frozen state," Mr Buckley said.

Once satisfied that the camel milk has been well frozen, it is then moved into drying chambers to become a powder.

Mr Buckley uses the science of sublimation to turn liquids like camel milk into powders. ( ABC Sunshine Coast: Jacqui Street )

"This is where things get scientific; the science of sublimation takes place," Mr Buckley said.

"By turning an ice into a gas into a solid and then drying it, there's never a liquid state — hence the term freeze-drying."

Getting the right chocolate taste

The camel milk powder is then provided to Sunshine Coast chocolatier Brigid Woolnough who turns it into a praline.

"The camel milk is actually at the centre of the chocolates, so I cast a shell that has a dark chocolate on it that's dairy free already and then we make a ganache using the powder."

Ms Woolnough admitted there had been a bit of experimenting when she first started working with camel milk.

"It definitely has a unique taste, it's not pungent. It's sort of salty, a bit sweet," Ms Woolnough said.

Chocolatier Bridgid Woolnough says camel chocolate has a saltier flavour than regular dairy chocolate. ( ABC Sunshine Coast: Jacqui Street )

But she said it was something everyone could enjoy.

"It's a great chocolate alternative for people who are perhaps lactose intolerant or don't do so well on cows' milk."

She settled on three flavours: praline, lemon myrtle and macadamia.

Overseas market

Camels are kept with calves for several years, which helps them produce milk for the camel chocolate. ( ABC Sunshine Coast: Jacqui Street )

The businesses hope the novel product will attract buyers from the Middle East.

"We've had a lot of interest from the overseas market for the chocolates — particularly because there's only one other company in the world that makes camel milk chocolates," Ms Brisbane said.

"So we will be the second company in the world, which is very exciting."

The milking process

Ms Brisbane said the camel dairy had been designed to be as gentle as possible, and allowed camel calves to stand alongside their mothers during milking.

As the calves drink the milk from the teats, the mothers relax and let down more.

The mothers have been encouraged to take as long as they like to wean their calves, with some babies taking several years to be fully weaned.

The camel milk has also been growing in popularity as farmers turn to animals that could otherwise be considered pests.

"It's one of the oldest milks in the world," Ms Brisbane said.

"It's an incredibly healthy milk and can be tolerated by people with dairy allergies as well as other conditions."