Would you like free lollies with that?

Could Hamilton be home to New Zealand’s friendliest dairy owner?

If so, Kevin Sohal, owner of Fairfield Bridge Dairy on River Road, is  a top contender for the spot.

Mr Sohal believes what you put out in the community is what you get back.

“I want to pay it forward. It’s all about brightening someone’s day and seeing a smile on their face. We have always put people before profit.”

And what he gets back is a strong and loyal customer base, many of whom he knows by name.

Student and Fairfield local Teresa Michels often pops down to the dairy for a chat.

“It’s what I do, when I’m having a long day studying I go down there and buy a drink or an ice-block and have a chat with Kevin. He’s always so positive and friendly, it makes a huge difference to what is otherwise a very long, boring day.”

And how does Mr Sohal stay so positive during what many would call less than ideal working conditions?

“I remember when I was growing up – the small gestures made all the difference, the free potato fritters with your fish and chips, or the freebies in your lolly mixture.”

“It’s tough out there at the moment, everything in the media is so negative, the world is a greedy place. I just want to make it a kinder place, bring some of the trust back.”

Mr Sohal was warned about the “dairy life” by the previous owner.

“You work long hours, 14 hour days and have no holidays, and there’s always the risk of opportunist criminals.”

But in the five years he and wife Nikki have owned the dairy, they haven’t had a single problem. “It’s karma.”

“I was told, if you want to do this job and make it your career you have to treat it as your social life. So that’s what we do, we treat our customers as our friends. We try to put a smile on their face.”

After 16 years in the hospitality industry, owning a dairy comes naturally to Mr Sohal.

This pleases his former work mates from a bar he managed for six years prior to investing in the dairy.

“They used to joke with me – ‘Hey Kevin, you’re Indian, why don’t you run a dairy?’

“And now I do, I’ve found my true calling,” he laughs.

Hamilton teenager Tara Wells experienced this hospitality first hand when her car ran out of petrol outside the River Road dairy.

“I had left in a hurry and forgot my wallet; I went into the dairy to ask to use the land-line and ended up with a phone top-up.”

“He was so friendly and helpful, making sure I had got hold of someone and offering me a drink and some food. He really went out of his way to help me.”