MEET THE FOUNDERS
Dr. Berkley Luck
Dr. Berkley Luck is a Molecular Biologist, Soon-to-be-Mom, and the Founder of Milkify, the 1st breast milk freeze-drying service in the U.S.
Dr. Luck is an expert in the field of microbiome science and specializes in studies of the infant gut microbiome. Her research has provided insight as to how microbial influences during early development lead to life-long changes in brain function and behavior.
As a researcher, she used freeze-drying technology as a way to preserve the viability of the probiotic bacteria she was studying. Seeing the opportunity in freeze-drying for purposes other than research, Milkify started with the goal of preserving the probiotics in breast milk for better infant nutrition.
Dr. Luck has nearly 10 years of experience in managing and operating safe laboratory environments, including the clinical research laboratory setting. Dr. Luck spent the better part of a year fine-tuning and perfecting a safe and effective process specific to human breast milk - the result being Milkify’s proprietary contact-free freeze-drying process which allows the storage of breast milk powder for 3 years with no refrigeration.
See more about Dr. Luck’s background and her research on the infant gut microbiome:
Postnatal colonization with human “infant-type” Bifidobacterium species alters behavior of adult gnotobiotic mice
Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases: The Human Microbiome
How do bacteria in the gut control the brain? (An adaptation of Dr. Luck’s research for your kids!)
See More
Pedro R. Silva
Milkify was Co-Founded by Pedro Silva, Dr. Luck's husband and Soon-to-be-Dad. Pedro has pioneered the design and implementation of Milkify’s Breast Milk Drop-Off Kiosks.
Even with continued improvements in employer lactation support, the expression of breast milk via pumping in the workplace still poses difficulties for mothers due to the requirements for refrigerated storage and transportation. As a witness to these barriers, he designed the Milkify Breast Milk Drop-Off Kiosks to be placed in or near employer-provided lactation areas and motherhood-focused businesses.
These kiosks provide working mothers with a secure, temperature-controlled, and remotely-monitored freezer in which to drop-off milk expressed at work. The kiosk allows mothers to immediately drop off their breast milk after expressing, eliminating the need for a dedicated refrigerator on the part of the employer, or a cooler/ice pack on the part of the nursing mother. By offering a convenient method of storage for the pumped milk via the Milkify kiosks, this service aims to increase the number of women that choose to continue providing breast milk to their infants even after their return to the workplace.
Milkify’s innovative Breast Milk Freeze-Drying Service, in combination with the Breast Milk Drop-Off Kiosks, aims to reduce the cognitive load placed on working mothers and to eliminate the choice between working and breastfeeding.
See more about Pedro Silva's background