Arla's Conversion to Tetra Top Complete

01 Jul 2004

In May 2004, Arla Foods launched a new product, the yoghurt “Yoggi Lättsockrad” with 25 percent less added sugar packed in Tetra Top. In the beginning of September, all Yoggi products will be packed in Tetra Top, and the conversion from the Elopak gable top to Tetra Top will be completed. The ”low carb”trend The focus for Arla Foods has been to reduce the fat content in Yoggi due to consumer demands. The latest demand is to reduce carbohydrates. “We have noticed that the consumers are more interested in reducing carbohydrates, i.e. the sugar content of the products. Our latest release “Yoggi Lättsockrad” goes hand in hand with this trend and the declaration from WHO (World Health Organisation), that obesity is one of the main health risks for the future and that reducing sugar is essential to fight obesity”, says Metter Rehnström, product group manager for Yoggi at Arla Foods. She continues, “We believe that the “low carb” debate is here to stay and we will try to communicate how healthy our products are. Yoggi contains of 83 percent milk and 8 percent fruit and most of the sugar is not added white sugar, but natural fructose. Convenience and price Two other trends in the yoghurt business are convenience and price. The amount of single household has increased lately and food is consumed “on-the-go”. The need for smart and reclosable packages has increased. The other trend is the focus on cost. “We know that food is a “non-issue” and that the price is crucial when choosing a product. 1 Litre Yoggi costs about 14 SEK (~1.5 Euro). But we believe that price is not everything and that driving innovation and developing new products and packages is a must to be able to succeed. Driving innovation and being cost competitive is sometimes hard to combine”, says Mette Rehnström. The launch of Tetra Top The conversion from gable top to Tetra Top for Yoggi started with a test launch in Stockholm and Gotland (island on the Swedish east coast) about a year ago. And in the beginning of May, Yoggi packed in Tetra Top was available in the rest of Sweden. The launch is supported by TV commercials, billboard advertising and other in store promotion activities. “The consumers have reacted very positive to the launch and the sales of the product “Yoggi Lätt” (less fat content) have exceeded expectations with a 16 percent sales increase. The conversion to Tetra Top will probably give us advantages in the heavy competitive yoghurt market”, says Mette Rehnström.