Speaking exclusively to Food Manufacture, Robert Graham, managing director of the Scottish milk producer said the focus would be on “naturally functional” products. It would cover areas including gut health as well as protein and low sugar requirements, he said.
NPD
“We’ve done a lot of NPD in the last year and a half particularly. Without exception they [products] have all performed extremely well.
“Seeing that and seeing how well aligned dairy is to consumer trends…we are working hard to be agile and quick to market with innovative great dairy products.”
Graham would not reveal the details of the NPD but added the business had invested £6m on capital expenditure in the last financial year and had “somewhere north of £3m” for 2019-2020, before adding that some of that figure had already been spent. In December 2018, the Scottish dairy reported a strong increase in its year-on-year sales, driven by new products added to its range.
In its full year results to March 2018, it reported that turnover rose £4.1m to £104.1m representing a 4% rise compared with 2017.
Skyr
The launch of Graham’s Skyr, a cultured dairy product native to Iceland achieved multiple Scottish and UK listings, while its protein 40 milk, which is of 100% Jersey origin and contains only 1% fat and 40g of protein was listed in Sainsbury’s in 2018.
Earlier this month (May 2018), Graham’s announced it had entered into a new two-year partnership with CJ Lang in Scotland which will provide local communities with fresh Scottish milk across 300 Spar stores.
In February, the independent dairy also signed a five-year partnership with discount retailer Aldi to supply 85 stores across Scotland, in a deal worth approximately £55m over the next five years.
