Arla, the farmer-owned dairy company, is responding to the resurgence of organic in the UK with the launch of its first branded organic product, Arla Organic Farm Milk, which aims to make organic milk more accessible to all.
The new product is the latest addition to the Arla portfolio which has seen significant innovation in 2016. The launch is in line with its ambitious business strategy to become a household name by 2020 and will see the farmer-owned business engage consumers in its organic story, through a comprehensive marketing campaign in the New Year.
Tomas Pietrangeli, managing director, Arla Foods UK said: “I am delighted that we are launching Arla Organic Farm Milk. It’s a significant milestone in our growth agenda and enables us to start telling and showcasing our organic story. As the category is on the rise, we see lots of potential for us to drive more value into the milk category.”
Arla Organic Farm Milk is unhomogenised that sees the return of the cream top. Setting it apart from most of its competitors, the layer of cream at the top of the bottle will appeal to a wide range of shoppers, including the nostalgic and the younger generation keen to try fresh milk in a different way.
Arla is the world’s largest producer of organic dairy products, with its farmers providing around 700 million litres of organic milk each year, including the UK, where it already produces own-label organic milk, cheese and butter.
Tomas Pietrangeli continued: “I have seen what can be achieved in other markets, such as Denmark, where up to 30 per cent of overall fresh milk sales are organic. The strategy has been focused on making organic more accessible to everyone, new product development and providing choice and availability.”
Shirley Preston, Arla farmer owner and Chair of Arla UK’s organic committee, said: "The launch of Arla Organic Farm Milk demonstrates Arla's commitment to organic, and is a great boost to Arla’s organic dairy farmers. We look forward to continued growth in the category and further product launches in the UK, helping organic to become more accessible to everyone."
To ensure the highest standards, Arla Organic Farm Milk is certified by the Soil Association. Arla works collaboratively with the Soil Association, a charity that campaigns for sustainable food, farming and land use and also the largest organic certification body in the UK.
Clare McDermott, Business Development Director, from Soil Association Certification, said: “We welcome the launch of Arla Organic Farm Milk, in the UK, and believe it’s a natural step for the world’s largest organic dairy producer. Organic farming has great benefits for animals, farmers and the environment and we have enjoyed working with Arla’s farmer owners and colleagues to ensure the product upholds the highest animal welfare standards that organic brings.”
In the last 18 months, Arla has launched a number of new innovations in the milk aisle including Arla BoB, the skimmed milk that tastes as good a semi-skimmed. Arla Farmers Milk was created to give shoppers the opportunity to pay a little extra on each bottle to help Arla farmers. Finally, Arla Big Milk has added Iron, Vitamin D and Vitamin A, providing parents an easy and convenient way of giving their children the vitamins and minerals they need.
Arla Organic Farm Milk 2-litre semi-skimmed and whole milk formats will be available initially in Tesco stores from 16 November (rsp: £1.75) with a wider distribution from January 2017.
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*Soil Association Organic Market Report 2015 - £1.95 billion - +4.9% on previous year.
The trademark Arla is a registered trademark of Arla Foods