Dairy Processing - September 2021 - 40

OPERATIONS
Coggins said they
have close-in innovation,
such as adding a new
flavor to a goat cheese
log line, typically taking
about eight months. They
also have longer-term
innovation such as adding
a new goat cheese, which
takes longer.
Coggins also said
retailers are placing increased requirements in the digital
space as there are more online platforms. She said previously
retailers would take product images, but now they need to
provide images.
Fox said Land O'Lakes has seen popularity in products
with seeds, and consequently they have launched a butter
spread with flax, chia, and hemp seeds. Additionally, they
are seeing consumers looking for enhanced flavors, and they
are launching a maple-flavored tub butter in response to the
popularity of their pumpkin pie spice flavored tub of butter.
It sometimes pays to think small, said Raquel Melo, vicepresident
of product innovation at Dairy Farmers of America.
For example, the Kemps brand launched Siips flavored milk
products targeted to the tween market. She said they had
found insight around kids loving chocolate-flavored milk but
not resonating with the packaging. As a result, they made it an
attractive product and launched it rather quickly, but in only
two venues.
" It's been really successful for us on that tiny scale, and we
are now expanding it, " Melo said.
Melo said it can be challenging to cut into line time to
bring a product to market on a small scale, but it can often
prove to be the best route forward when a company can do it.
She also said the La Vaquita brand recently introduced a
butter product with two sticks per package targeted to the
Hispanic market. She said this was born out of consumer
research finding Hispanic consumers desire to use butter but
haven't discovered it as they have other categories in part
because of a misconception they aren't interested in such
products. The size also made for a good value proposition in
the market.
" Getting the value proposition really laser-focused
is something that is increasingly important because the
marketplace is increasingly competitive, " Melo said.
Melo said through their Live Real Farms line of milks,
they have developed the Dairy+ line of plant and dairy milk
that combines milk and almond or oats in the beverage. She
said this was born out of research that consumers typically
have both dairy and plant-based options in their refrigerators.
She said a new generation of consumers coming up are
accustomed to the thinner viscosity and sweeter profile of
plant-based products. Additionally, she said there will be an
emphasis on providing hydration-based dairy beverages in
the future.
Melo said in the past product development typically took
two years, but trends are moving more quickly now. While
development is happening more rapidly, she said patience is
also key when bringing new products to market. She said the
industry often forgets it took Chobani time before they made
it big, and it's important to allow time for word of mouth.
" While it's a lot of work and takes a lot of attention to
detail, launching a new product is a very rewarding process, "
Coggins said.
Mission-driven product development
Consumers are becoming increasingly
educated and opinionated on
a range of social and environmental
issues, and they're looking to CPG
brands to deliver solutions.
In a survey this past spring, New
York-based Ipsos Marketing asked
consumers what sustainability issues
they think the United Nations
should focus on.
" Consumers said they should focus
on the issue of zero hunger, "
said Ashley Ericksen,
vice president
of Ipsos, during a presentation
at The Institute of Food Tech40
SEP 2021 | DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
nologists' FIRST virtual conference.
" They want to see change happen ...
consumers in the United States put
more responsibility on businesses
and government than they do on
themselves. "
Brands looking to productively
engage with the issues consumers
care about no longer enjoy the
one-way, push influence they once
had. Instead, the dynamics of brand
influence have shifted to become
more contextual and collective.
To win in this new environment,
brands must move beyond surface
level engagement with social
and environmental issues and bake
those values into every aspect of
their organization.
" We've all experienced a situation
where R&D is doing something
completely separate from marketing
and ... there's a disconnect, " Ms.
Ericksen said. " A clear mission statement
will impact all functions in the
same way. It will impact everything
you're doing ... Then it will trickle
down into the innovation and product
development strategy. "
-Sam Danley
Laura Chenel
http://www.DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Dairy Processing - September 2021

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