Earlier today, Fonterra announced its Anchor dairy brand had been officially launched in Ethiopia and Australia.
In Ethiopia, Fonterra has launched Anchor Fortified Milk Drink - a New Zealand milk powder specifically formulated with more than 30 nutrients - through a new joint venture in the country.
Meanwhile in Australia, Fonterra has launched a new range of Anchor brand cream products - Anchor Pure Cream, Anchor Thickened Cream and Anchor Light Thickened Cream.
“Whether it’s a mature or emerging dairy market, Anchor has a place to play and our product innovations allow us to pick the market position where Anchor is most likely to succeed, get early momentum and make a difference in people’s lives,” said Rene Dedoncker, managing director of global brands and nutrition, Fonterra.
New Anchor products have also recently been launched in Sri Lanka (domestically sourced Anchor UHT milk), China (Anchor Skim Milk) and New Zealand
First African consumer product
In September, DairyReporter reported that Fonterra had partnered with Ethiopian firm Faffa Foods to launch its first African consumer product.
The joint venture, New Zealand Milk Products Ethiopia, will produce, package and market Anchor Fortified Milk Drink in Ethiopia.
“The launch in Ethiopia is an exciting opportunity with our first real move from a consumer brand perspective into Africa and gives us an opportunity for a future regional play,” Dedoncker continued.
“Ethiopia is the second largest population in Africa with close to 100m people and the fastest growing economy in the world. However, despite the staggering economic growth more than 40% of its population are malnourished and lack access to affordable nutrition.”
In Australia, its new Anchor cream products - available in single (250ml) and double cup (500ml) formats - will be stocked exclusively in Woolworth's stores Down Under.
The deal with Woolworth's furthers Fonterra's existing partnership with the retailer.