Dairy producer Brownes has become the first local company to manufacture yoghurt pouches as part of an ambitious plan to usurp Yoplait as Western Australia’s highest selling yoghurt maker.
Dairy producer Brownes has become the first local company to manufacture yoghurt pouches as part of an ambitious plan to usurp Yoplait as Western Australia’s highest selling yoghurt maker.
Brownes product marketing manager Ivana Pereza said the company had vaulted from the sixth-largest yoghurt producer in WA to second during the past 15 months, on the back of a relaunch of its yoghurt brands using all natural ingredients.
Ms Pereza said the next step to establish Brownes as the most prolific yoghurt producer in the state was to tap into the pouch market, with around 12.6 million pouches coming to WA from the east coast each year.
“We recognised that one of the biggest ways that mums give yoghurt to their kids is on the go, which is in a pouch, and that was missing from our portfolio,” Ms Pereza told Business News.
“And it was not only missing in our portfolio, but it was missing in the WA dairy industry portfolio.”
Ms Pereza said the pouch initiative, which came at a substantial cost to Brownes due to the need to upgrade its manufacturing facilities, would also provide a boost to WA dairy farmers.
“We really felt that there was an absolute gap in the marketplace to ensure that we can increase the consumption of WA dairy produce and provide a natural, delicious alternative that’s made with fresh WA milk,” she said.
“It is hard to imagine why some of the other WA brands haven’t done it so far, but it’s something that we recognise is an absolute huge need for WA families, and expanding consumption of WA dairy produce is very high up on our priority list.
“Around $17 million of pouches are sold every year and that money heads over to the east coast. It just doesn’t seem right.”
Ms Pereza said the pouches hit Woolworths and IGA shelves last month, while negotiations with Coles were ongoing.
Brownes will also provide samples of the pouches at events across Perth over the next few months to promote awareness of the new product.
“We think that the pouches that we’ve launched, along with some upcoming innovations for next year, we really feel like we’re going to knock Yoplait off number one on the list,” Ms Pereza said.
“It’s a big ambition for a little WA-based dairy, going up against the big guns that have massive budgets, but I think with the support of WA families we have a really good chance because it’s the only yoghurt pouch produced in WA.
“Along with that comes all the benefits of supporting the local industry, and you are buying the freshest product because it hasn’t spent days on the Nullarbor travelling.
“And of course there are all the additional benefits of it being an all-natural product with reduced sugars.”
