The world's first commercially-produced camel cheese has hit supermarket shelves in the Middle East.

A dairy was established in Dubai in 2006, with just 100 camels.

Kirsten Lange, from Emirates Industry for Camel Milk and Products, says it's grown to more than 3,400 camels, staffed by about 250 employees.

"We have an automatic machine quite similar to cows," she said.

"Again this is the first ever.

"It has been developed especially for camel milking because the camel needs the feeling that the calf is sucking.

"If you cannot really artificially create that feeling, the camel won't give milk.

"The challenge with camels is they give a lot less milk than cows, seven litres per day as opposed to 25 litres and more."

Ms Lange says the camel milk is now being used in three new cheese products, ice-cream and chocolate, that are all growing in popularity.

"The cheeses are actually quite smooth in taste," she said.

"It's quite close to cow's cheese.

"I always say you might not even taste the difference.

"But it's a bit limited at the moment, 3,400 camels can only produce so much.

"So it's really premium outlets where we sell our cheeses.

"We have to be selective and we want to be selective, because the material we're dealing with is rare."

Camels are milked for about two years after calving.

Ms Lange says the calves are never removed from the mother or milk production will stop.

"The camels here are treated very well. They get a pedicure and are walked four kilometres every day.

"Every group of 25 camels has their own person looking after them, so it is quite intense when it comes to staff.

"A camel needs to be kept happy. You cannot treat a camel like a cow.

"If a camel doesn't like you, you will definitely taste it in the milk, see it in the amount of milk it gives and a camel always remembers."

Ms Lange says the nutritional benefits of camel milk are driving demand for the dairy products.

She says camel milk has twice the amount of vitamin C of cow's milk, and is lower in fat.

Emirates Industry for Camel Milk and Product is now focusing on the development of pharmaceutical products, but has also gained the necessary approvals to export its products to Europe and Malaysia.

"The camel milk industry is growing very fast," Ms Lange said.

"It makes us very proud, because people tend to say that Dubai absorbs everything from outside, so this is basically our chance to bring something to the world."