Tassie Organic Infant Formula Expands in Asia

A Tasmanian company and its organic dairy infant formula is perfectly placed to capitalise on rising Chinese demand for premium infant formula.

Bellamy's Organic currently has an office in Shanghai and will open one in Singapore in the near future to serve as a hub for its other Asian markets.

CEO Laura McBain said its biggest sellers in China are Step 1 (newborn) formula, followed very closely by Toddler milk then Step 2 formula.

"We currently sell into Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia - we are radically developing our business there," she said.

An integral partner in Bellamy's Organic's export venture is Tatura Milk Industries, as it offers high-quality infant formula produced under the strictest quality controls.

Tatura Milk Industries is one of the largest Australian owned manufacturers of infant formula and is based in regional Victoria.

The Australian food and dairy industries have developed a reputation for a very high standard of safe practice and are a valued source of infant formula.

"These infant formula products are tested rigorously to ensure they meet the most demanding of global customer and regulatory requirements," Ms McBain said.

Bellamy's Organic baby formula is made and packed in cans in Australia for all export markets.

"Mothers in Asia like to be reassured that the product really is from Australia, so the fact that it is packed here using identical graphics as our domestic product gives them that reassurance," Ms McBain said.

Bellamy's uses Ardagh Group's cans to package its ranges of infant formula.

Ms McBain said producing formula for consumption by infants is a responsibility that Bellamy's takes very seriously.

"Babies, particularly newborns, are delicate and their immune systems are still developing. We don't take any chances with our product quality and purity and we must be certain of its integrity when it leaves us.

"Cans are the very best medium for formula. They are robust and airtight. In addition the cans are only a fraction of the total product weight, so they contribute very little to freight costs.

"Ardagh Group provides us with excellent technical service in relation to printing. We have special colours that need to be accommodated and the team at Ardagh give us good input so that the result is good, consistent colour reproduction and excellent registration. That's really important when you need a lot of small print for the ingredients list," she said.

Ardagh Group makes the infant formula cans at its Kyabram conversion plant, supported by production systems certified to ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management, ISO 22000:2005 Food Safety Management and AS 4801 Safety Management.

Source: Ardagh Group